John Norum-Play Yard Blues (2010)

John Norum is primarily known as one of the founders of the Swedish hard rock band Europe, with whom he achieved significant media and commercial success during the 1980s thanks to excellent albums such as "Wings of Tomorrow" and "The Final Countdown", and radio hits like the title track, "Carrie", "Rock the Night", and "Cherokee". But Norum has also always maintained a parallel solo career, releasing eight studio albums. In 2010, John Norum decided to compile some of the songs that influenced his career into an album, producing a collection of his own compositions alongside blues and rock covers. His guitar style has always been characterized by its dark and raw sound, a highly valued trait perfectly suited to blues rock. Songs like the opening hard rock track "Let It Shine" and the powerful "Red Light Green High" and "Got My Eyes On You", alternate with a heavy cover of Thin Lizzy's song. "It's Only Money", the psychedelic heavy rock "Ditch Queen", (another version this time by Frank Marino), or the magnificent blues "Play Yard Blues".