For those not in the know, Heaven & Earth are a Californian band built primarily around the talents of English born guitarist Stuart Smith. 'A Taste of Heaven' showcases four new songs from the latest incarnation of the band featuring ex Rough Cutt/Quiet Riot vocalist Paul Shortino and drummer Richi Onori and also delves back into history to resurrect four tracks from Smith's debut album, the appropriately titled 'Heaven & Earth'.

The first four tracks appearing on this CD are the new offerings and first cut 'Screaming For Redemption' proves to be a fine opening number. A mid-pace blues rock song, the track starts with a melodic guitar passage that paves the way for Shortino's soulful vocals. The chorus is certainly memorable with the Hammond organ layers adding a fine texture to the overall sound of the song. Second song in ,'Heaven' , musically follows in the same vein. There is a warmth to the music that gives the song an organic feel. The guitar sound Smith employs is full bodied and rich and yet again the Hammond organ is wonderfully utilised to flavour the track.

'Nasty Piece Of Work' is, musically, a more aggressive number, raising the tempo without losing any of the melody and harmony  intrinsic to the record thus far. The final new track is 'It'd Be True'. As I have written before I am generally not a fan of ballads, however the quality of this  track puts it above many others in the genre. Shortino's  voice in particular stands out within the song and as with each of the other new tracks Smith proves that emotion and feel within solo's counts for more than notes per second and all of the technical shredding in the world.

'Dreams Of Desire' starts the history lesson mentioned at the top of this review and is an instrumental affair showcasing Smith's talents as a soloist. Mixing classic and Celtic passages, Smith's multi-layered guitar parts  have a similarity at times to the style pioneered by Queen's Brian May. Next up is 'When A Blind Man Cries' featuring Richie Sambora on vocals. Having owned the Heaven & Earth album for a number of years this cover of the Deep Purple track has long been a personal favourite. Sambora simply excels and the guitar work is equally as stunning. If you haven't heard this song before this  EP is a must have simply to listen to this track.

'Heaven & Earth' features Joe Lyn Turner on vocals and owes a lot to Rainbow in its construction and arrangement. The final track, 'See That My Grave Is Kept Clean' sees Glenn Hughes add his vocal talents into the mix. Starting off as almost blue-grass in flavour, the song builds into a classic 70's rock song with soaring melodies and Blackmore-esque soloing.

The new work on this EP sees Smith et al moving away from the 70's Deep Purple/Led Zeppelin direction in which the older numbers so obviously lean and into a more blues rock arena. The addition of Shortino on vocals is a major plus point and with the quality of the material on offer it all bodes extremely well for the release of the full length album later in the year.

Further information on Heaven & Earth can be found at www.stuartsmith.com

20/10 for 'When A Blind Man Cries'... but I am biased.

Let us know your views on 'A Taste of Heaven'

Track List

Screaming For Redemption
Heaven
Nasty Piece Of Work
It'd Be True
Dreams Of Desire
When A Blind Man Cries
Heaven & Earth
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

Line  Up

Stuart Smith - Guitars
Richi Onori - Drums
Paul Shortino - Vocals
Joe Lynn Turner - Vocals
Glenn Hughes - Vocals
Richie Sambora - Vocals
Dave Chamberlain - Bass
Scott Warren - Keyboards