GREG FISHMAN
"She
Wants to Be a Star" (Ventilator; 2005)
Reviewed by the R. Scott Bolton
On his website, musician Greg Fishman cites Peter Criss of KISS as the first person he ever wanted to be. After reading about and listening to the three track "She Wants to Be a Star," however, one has to wonder whether Fishman also wanted to be Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley. Why? Because, in addition to drums, Fishman is also a vocalist, guitarist and bassist.
That kind of musical talent leads to some great songwriting. Still, fortunately, Fishman is also smart enough to know that one person doing everything often leads to dull and one dimensional results. So he hooked up with producer Gus Rios here, and recorded the three song "She Wants to Be a Star." Rios performs all instruments on the CD, while Fishman sings the songs he himself wrote.
The result is three strong tracks, songs that are amazingly tight, energetic and just heavy enough to give them an edge. More importantly, the songs don't feel like the work of a solo artist; they feel like the work of a band. Obviously, this has as much to do with producer Rios as it does Fishman, but the combination is obviously a winning team.
Like so many three song CDs, "She Wants to Be a Star" isn't quite enough to get a really good feel for Fishman's work, but the strength of the tracks here indicates some serious talent at work. I'm ready to hear more.
Performing all instruments on this CD was Gus Rios. All songs were written and sung by Greg Fishman.
For more information, check out http://www.ventilatorrecords.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2005 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 26 Feb 2024 13:06:29 -0500.
