{"id":29172,"date":"2013-04-22T12:54:28","date_gmt":"2013-04-22T17:54:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=29172"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:35:06","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:35:06","slug":"mike-tramp-cobblestone-street-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/mike-tramp-cobblestone-street-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Tramp | <\/em>Cobblestone Street<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Derric Miller<\/span>
\n– Managing Editor —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"MikeGone are the days when Denmark\u2019s Mike Tramp will hold high a sword and sing about roads leading to Valhalla, about everyone burning in Hell, about lonely nights or about asking you to wait. Instead, Tramp has evolved into more of a folky storyteller on his new solo effort, Cobblestone Street<\/em>. (At least he still sings about crying children, and you\u2019ll hear a new version as a bonus track.)<\/p>\n

Cobblestone Street<\/em> is Tramp\u2019s sixth solo effort, and the title track greets you when you hit \u201cplay.\u201d \u201cCobblestone Street\u201d is Tramp looking back on his childhood, with lyrics telling the story, \u201dThis place I once called home, where my mom raised three boys on her own.\u201d It\u2019s a simple composition that succeeds because of that. With everything stripped away to acoustic guitar, understated keys and Tramp\u2019s unique vocals, you know this song is from the heart. It may remind you of a Stage Dolls\u2019 ballad. <\/p>\n

The first single is \u201cNew Day,\u201d one of the more chipper creations on the release. While most of the album is melancholy and mellow, \u201cNew Day\u201d is Tramp telling you that life isn\u2019t all that bad and only you can make it better. \u201cYou can change it, rearrange it \u2026 you can change it, make it all new again.\u201d If \u201csing-songy\u201d is a word \u2014 and even if it\u2019s not \u2014 then that\u2019s the best descriptor for this track. <\/p>\n

While it\u2019s true Tramp can sing uplifting when he wants to, he draws in the listener when he goes bleak. That\u2019s exactly what he does on the next song, \u201cAin\u2019t the Life I Asked For.\u201d Now we have barroom harmonica and a crisp, stark riff surrounded in words like \u201cThis ain\u2019t the life I wanted to live, now it is what I\u2019ve become\u201d and \u201cWhen your life falls apart at the end, there\u2019s nothing, nothing at all \u2026\u201d High five, Mike! <\/p>\n

Tramp dedicated the album to his children, and he spins magic when unearthing his emotions for them in song. \u201cWe\u2019ll Be Alright\u201d is a forlorn, breathy composition, and if you still have tear ducts they might kick start upon hearing it. When Tramp sings \u201cI see it in your eyes, the childhood wounds you can\u2019t disguise,\u201d it gives you an inkling that the guy who co-wrote \u201cWhen the Children Cry\u201d is still around. <\/p>\n

Keeping with the downtrodden and bereft theme, you land at \u201cWhat Are You Gonna Do?\u201d At first, when the keys play in the background and Tramp sings about no food in the cupboard, the phone stopped ringing since they cut it off, letters in the mailbox cold be six months old and just one window that isn\u2019t broken in the house \u2026 you may be thinking \u201cMike Tramp needs an energy drink and a hug.\u201d He flips the script though, and near the end of the song he tells the listener \u201cso give it a try, spread out your wings and fly.\u201d The song ends with him asking you \u2026 so what are you gonna do? It\u2019s a call to arms, not a funeral hymn. <\/p>\n

Most of his fans will be interested in the Tramp and Vito Bratta, White Lion song \u201cWhen the Children Cry,\u201d the bonus track on Cobblestone Street<\/em>. It\u2019s always risky remaking a classic, especially when you change the music, when the vocals are delivered at a different rhythm and in different notes than the original \u2026 and you don\u2019t have that immense guitar solo build up. It\u2019s Tramp\u2019s track, and he can do whatever he wants. It doesn\u2019t match the original, but it\u2019s a unique take and fits perfect with the tone on the rest of the release. <\/p>\n

Hard rockers who still crank White Lion<\/em> and Freak of Nature<\/em> need to slow down, take a breath, and realize everyone eventually grows up. Well, almost everyone. Tramp states on his press release for Cobblestone Street<\/em> that his inspirations for this album are Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. Don\u2019t expect Tramp to tell ya baby all through the night but instead sing you stories about real life, human emotions and the human condition. It\u2019s as honest an album you can hear today. <\/p>\n

Genre: Rock, Folk<\/p>\n

Band:
\nMike Tramp: acoustic guitar and vocals
\nSoren Anderson: guitar, piano, keyboards, bass, drums, harmonica<\/p>\n

Track Listing
\n1. Cobblestone Street
\n2. Caught In The Storm
\n3. New Day
\n4. Ain’t The Life I Asked For
\n5. Revolution
\n6. We’ll Be Alright
\n7. Angel Or Devil
\n8. Find It In Your Heart
\n9. What Are You Gonna Do?
\n10. Once<\/p>\n

BONUS TRACK
\n11. When The Children Cry (2013 Acoustic Version)<\/p>\n

Label: Cleopatra Records <\/p>\n

Website: miketramp.dk<\/a> <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.2\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Derric Miller – Managing Editor — Gone are the days when Denmark\u2019s Mike Tramp will hold high a sword and sing about roads leading to Valhalla, about everyone burning in Hell, about lonely nights […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":29173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[336,1286,6626,6616,334,6617],"class_list":{"0":"post-29172","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2013","8":"tag-cd","9":"tag-cleopatra-records","10":"tag-cobblestone-street","11":"tag-mike-tramp","12":"tag-review","13":"tag-white-lion"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29172\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}