Album Review: The Winery Dogs- The Winery Dogs

Hi,
    My name is Surjo, and I'm a professional musician. The songs you're hearing (hopefully) are from my debut album 'The Key Has Turned' which you can buy here.

   The album up for review is the self-titled album of 'The Winery Dogs'. The Dogs are a supergroup with Mike Portnoy (ex- DreamTheater), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, David Lee Roth Band, Steve Vai) and Richie Kotzen (ex Poison, ex Mr. Big) filling out the slots for drums, bass and guitars respectively. Richie sings lead vocals and everyone else backs him up.

   The first thing that comes to mind is that Billy and Richie have already played together in Mr. Big, and I wanted to see how much of that quick riff style comes into play here.

'Elevate' starts off the album with a really uptempo riff, and it's really loud, and by the end of the line my Mr. Big question is answered. There's going to be a whole lot of unnecessary pyro in the riffs, but it's going to be a treat for guys who love pyro riffs. Oh, and a most commercial chorus kicks in, which makes me believe this might be the blueprint for what's to come. Nothing spectacular in the words, the mix of the song definitely helps. Big drum fill to end. 

'Desire' starts off with a cool riff. The vocal melody has a lot of influences, with different sections sounding like different styles of RnB and pop. The way the music dominates makes it very tough to focus on the words, and that definitely takes away from the message if it is a good one. Never quite understood why a band would do that, in case they happened to write a good lyric, Also, a lot of pyro in the instrumental break. 

'We Are One' starts off with a pretty cool riff and a vocal melody that could have been from Alice In Chains. Being a 3-piece, they make use of a whole lot of guitar and bass effects to cover the soundscape, which is an effective tool. Singable chorus, but again, the words are so cookie-cutter, it's just flat. And of course, the mix will always favour the instruments, never is the vocal treated as the lead instrument. Blitzkrieg solo, and that's how the vocal should be treated to cut through the mix too. 

'I'm No Angel' has a super cool guitar riff to start off, which morphs into quite a slinky verse. The need for a commercial chorus hurts this song, since the verse outshines the chorus with a lot of X-factor. 

'The Other Side' starts with MP on hyperdrive, and Billy joins him there. The riff follows the vocal melody, and the last line of the chorus has any element of cool in it. Have to wait till the bridge and the guitar solo for a cool melody in the song. Why isn't the same effort put into the vocal melody as is clearly put into the instrumental breaks? Long jam at the end, that had more value than all the lines of lyrics written for the song, really says something. 

'You Saved Me' starts off with Billy Sheehan tapping away on his bass. Almost could have been a Baba O'Reilly there, but not quite that involved. The vocal melody is just a rehash of so many ballads from so many bands. The message of the song is clouded in the conflicting lyrics of the verse and chorus. 

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'Not Hopeless' starts off with such a rush, that I thought it was going to be 'Addicted To That Rush' or 'Colorado Bulldog' from Mr. Big. The chorus delves into a half-time groove, I guess there was no other move to make to keep up the tempo of the song. Why have they written this album? I'm sure they're not going to list this as their best creation. Maybe because it's 'Not Hopeless', but man it sure runs it close. Supergroup with a super dud of an album. 

'One More Time' is the next song in the album. The chorus melody movement is a lift from somewhere, but I can't remember where. I'm really not enjoying listening to any of this closely. 

'Damaged' is a slower track, and like with almost the previous songs, has Richie singing in a higher register which is just slightly out of his comfort zone and it results in a pitchy effort. The lyrics are the best they've been in the album so far, with a cohesive storyline and strong words used to communicate strong emotions. 

'Six Feet Deeper' has a lot of Mr. Big in it, which is a sad statement in and off it itself. The lyrics go back to being disjointed and without any cohesiveness. 

'Time Machine' starts off with a pretty cool riff. I think the people who're already fans of the three guys will be positive to these songs, and of course, those who like chop fests in their songs. 

'The Dying' starts off with an almost Hendrix-type clean riff. The words make a few attempts at metaphors and intricacies, but just don't finish off properly, but it's still a better attempt at the words than most of the album. There is one story being told, and it doesn't confuse too much. 

'Regret' finishes off the album with a piano riff, ala Elton John. Nothing special jumps out here, except that, I can't honestly believe that 40 plus folks are going to write the love songs that 20 plus folks write. There is a lack of honesty that comes across rather blatantly. 

I wouldn't hear the album again. I don't know why people would make this album, other than just that, let's get together and bang out an album. There is a lack of thought with regards to almost everything in the album, other than the cheesy chorus lines and the instrumental breaks. Just a sad state of affairs when you consider the personnel involved in the process.