18 of 23 people found the following review helpful
A very nice surprise.,
March 26, 2011 J. HARMON (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Great Divide (Audio CD)
Anyone who has ever examined the entire catalog of Tommy Shaw's recorded career (STYX, solo, DAMN YANKEES, Shaw*Blades, etc.) would recognize that among his many strengths (remarkable vocals, brilliant guitar and amazing song structure) is his diversity.
The pint sized rocker with the gigantic sound came from the deep south of Montgomery, Alabama and made it to the big show in the Windy City of Chicago, Illinois. He has since made his mark in the Big Apple before settling down once and for all in Los Angeles.
Growing up listening to The Grand Ole Oprey to writing songs for Ozzy Ozborne, Tommy has recorded his own tracks with incredible fluidity incorporating sounds from Heavy Metal to gospel, from progressive rock to country, including elements of folk on to the blues, and just about everything in between.
So for any fans of Tommy's (especially those who favored the Shaw*Blades album HALLUCINATION) would never be more than mildly surprised that Tommy...Read more
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Different, but real,
April 1, 2011 Larry Walker (Morristown, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Great Divide (Audio CD)
I was really surprized to hear that Tommy Shaw was putting out a bluegrass album. Reluctant to purchase it, but love it. Tommy Shaw has the voice and talent to perform any type of music. I really like the title track, Shadows in the Moonlight, and I'll Be Coming Home. The whole album is great, but those three songs really stand out.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Different but good!,
May 31, 2011 MJDenn910 - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Great Divide (Audio CD)
The Great Divide is a good solo cd from Tommy Shaw. People looking for "7 Deadly Zens" part 2 need not read any further. This is more like Shaw-Blades "My Hallucination" gone bluegrass. It is classified as bluegrass, but to me it seems like a "mainstream-ized" style of bluegrass. A lot like Alison Krauss, who coincidentaly is on the album. I can appreciate Tommy letting musicians whose focus is bluegrass have the solos on most of the tracks, but I would have appreciated hearing him play more mandolin and maybe trading solos on a couple of songs. Overall it is a good effort, but I don't think it is his best.
(18 customer reviews)