Terry Ilous: ‘Gypsy Dreams’
TERRY ILOUS
GYPSY DREAMS
Released on April 28, 2017 (Fyco Records)
Review:
Even though Terry Ilous has been in fronting Great White (that just doesn’t sound right) for several years, I still haven’t grown used to hearing him sing the classic stuff and the new stuff just doesn’t have the Great White vibe to it. It’s a matter of preference I suppose. I did enjoy his performances on the XYZ debut album. Terry Ilous has a powerful, melodic voice that is very distinct. Even years later, Ilous has retained his French accent which sets him apart from his contemporaries.
While preparing to unleash the new Great White album on the masses, Ilous decided to take a sharp left for his latest solo outing (his third). The album is titled Gypsy Dreams and is a covers album with a huge twist. The classic rock songs that Ilous and his band tackled have been in some cases overhauled, in other cases dismantled and rearranged. So you’ve heard this before about other cover albums but how often have you heard someone recording Latin flavored and Flamenco versions of groups’ signature songs?
The best way that I can describe the music on Gypsy Dreams is like this; if you can imagine an all acoustic band tackling some of your favorite rock and hard rock tunes. The music is super laid back and super chill — you can envision them banging out these songs at a winery while the patrons sip on their favorite adult beverage. “Whole Lotta Love” (Led Zeppelin), “Long Train Running” (The Doobie Brothers), “Heaven And Hell” (Black Sabbath), “Love Bites” (Def Leppard), and “Kill The King” (Rainbow) are the standouts on Gypsy Dreams.
Gypsy Dreams isn’t a cliche bluegrass tribute record — let’s hear it for the hipsters — or a ‘cookie cutter/ color by numbers’ recording or some quirky lullaby album. This is actually fun to listen to and the musicianship is top notch. While Gypsy Dreams isn’t for anyone, there’s some great content on here for those that want something (very) out of the box.
Track List:
01. Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin)
02. Boys Of Summer (Don Henley)
03. In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel)
04. Long Train Running (The Doobie Brothers)
05. Wicked Game (Chris Isaak)
06. Heaven And Hell (Black Sabbath)
07. Ride Like The Wind (Christopher Cross)
08. Love Bites (Def Leppard)
09. Kill The King (Rainbow)
Band Member:
Terry Ilous – vocals
Additional Musicians:
Luis Villegas – guitar
Jose Garcia – guitar
Mike Paganini – bass
Mike Bennett – bass
Ben Woods – guitar
Jesse Stern – drums, percussion
Chris Trujillo – drums, percussion
Al Velasquez – drums, percussion
Natalie Gelman – background vocals
Band Websites:
Official Website
Facebook
Reviewed by Ruben Mosqueda for Sleaze Roxx, June 2017
Terry Ilous‘ “Whole Lotta Love” video:
Whole Lotta Love [Led Zeppelin] – Terry Ilous – ‘Gypsy Dreams’
‘Whole Lotta Love’ [Led Zeppelin] by TERRY ILOUS off of the album ‘ Gypsy Dreams’ Terry wrote :My humble rendition of one of the greatest rock songs ever wr…
Terry Ilous‘ Gypsy Dreams EPK:
TERRY ILOUS – ‘Gypsy Dreams’ – EPK 2017
Please watch: “Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love – by Terry Ilous https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=To4DSd-hUrU –~–Terry Ilous, lead singer for Great White and…