Angelica
Rock, Stock, and Barrel
Reviewed by Jeff Lott
Guitar virtuoso Dennis Cameron and his band Angelica are back with this, their third release. I absolutely loved their first release, with its very hard driven guitar. So, when their second release, "Walkin' In Faith," came out, I jumped on it, expecting the same, and was disappointed. Upon listening to "Rock, Stock, And Barrel," I think I'll dust off "Walkin' In Faith" and give it another listen. The production is one of the clearest I've ever heard (way to go Dennis!). The guitar work is absolutely groovin.' Heaven's Metal may have a new guitar hero in next year's reader's poll (sorry Rex!). Standout cuts on this tape are "Cover Me", "Home Sweet Home", and "Keep Pushin' On". Drew, the vocalist, has such a clean, smooth style that his vocals are almost candy coated. The background vocals are phenomenal. Even though drummer Bobby Lawrence and bassist Robert Pallen's presence is known, neither of them do anything that is outstanding. Dennis' guitar work steals the show on this tape. Evidence of that is in the two instrumentals: "Bumble Bee Groove" and "Oh Canada". The only negative thing about this tape is that it's just too commercial, which may keep it from being a big seller among die-hard metal fans. It would be a real shame, because Angelica's talent is just too good to go unnoticed.