This Portnoy/Sheehan/Kotzen Project is Actually Pretty Good

The long-brewing trio featuring Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan and Richie Kotzen has finally come to life: the group now has a name — The Winery Dogs — and a new song called “Elevate.” And the song is ridiculously catchy.

It’s not metal, but given this cast of characters I’d expect something more in the vein of exactly what it is: bluesy rock. Portnoy is a monster, we know that, albeit a bit toned back here. It’s nice to see him playing music that isn’t trying to be all hard rawk ala Adrenaline Mob. Sheehan is an absolute beast on the bass, ever the entertainer. Music dorks like us who followed Poison’s sagging career in the ’90s know well that Richie Kotzen is a great player, but no one ever told me about this guy’s voice… jeez louise, he can sing! The perfect timbre for this kind of music, too.

Jam the new music video for “Elevate” below. The Winery Dogs’ album comes out on May 15th in Japan (Kotzen has maintained popularity there from his Mr. Big years), but no word yet of a U.S. release date or tour.

[via Metal Insider]