The Latest Review for Back to Scoolin'!

"Writer/Producer Sonya Alexander has worked for some of the most high-profile companies in the film and television industry. She was trained to become a literary agent at the William Morris Agency and The Agency, where she read scripts and scouted for new, talented writers. She has written many articles about celebrities in the entertainment industry for such publications and websites as UGO.com, Black Filmmaker Magazine, ScriptWriter Magazine, and Essence Magazine, as well as for political site AllVoices.com. Over the years, Sonya has built strong, longstanding relationships with many Hollywood actors, writers, directors and producers. She is very pleased to be in the process of publishing her first book, "Echoes of Colonization: Creole Culture in Louisiana and Haiti." She resides in New York."

The preceding profile is taken from the Examiner.com web-site where Sonya contributes articles, also maintaining a Zeppelin-specific site called Led Zeppelin Examiner. Her very generous review of Back to Schoolin' appeared recently, and is reproduced below:

Back to Schoolin': What Led Zeppelin Taught Me About Music by Kevin Courtright - A Review

• August 21st, 2010 10:36 pm ET

Back to Schoolin' cover

Photo: amazon.com

"Many music fans appreciate the greatness that was and is Led Zeppelin, but some don't truly understand the complexities and layers of the loudest, biggest, baddest rock band ever. Composer Kevin Courtright grew to appreciate the band at a young age and decided to share his wealth of Zep knowledge with the rest of the world by writing Back to Schoolin':What Led Zeppelin Taught Me About Music. In the beginning of the book, Courtright states that when he takes "an interest in something, he becomes obsessed with it." In the 350-plus pages of this book, he turns his obsession into a streamlined analysis of the formula of Led Zeppelin's magic.

The book has three sections, Part 1 focusing on the musical diversity of Zep, how lyrics elevated their material, their originality and the duality of the band, its "light and shade," simplicity and complexity. Part 2 delves into various aspects of Zeppelin's aesthetics; mysterious, symbolic album covers, each member's rock star persona, and the band's palpable chemistry. Part 3 explores their business acumen and the elements that kept them on top, as well as the groundbreaking group's legacy.

While the book is encyclopedic in content, a must for neo-Zeppelinites, it could use a few ingredients to make it jump off the page. Where are key photos of Zeppelin? Any Zeppelin newbie should definitely be shown the progression of the band's signature look, as well as die-hard fans given a peak of never-before-seen shots. Also, there should be more anecdotes and direct quotes from the Zeppelin members, which would liven up the book. Zep set the precedent for decadent living in the 70s and broke the mold for rock star glamour, let the reader get a sense of that excitement by using a little more humor and personal accounts from the members of the group or those associated with them.

Overall, an informative read that just needs to be a bit sexier. After all, Led Zeppelin was and is the poster child for sex appeal, so why not make any account of them just as titillating? This book is a good schoolin' on the nuts and bolts of the band, though, and is a good investment for the aspiring Zeppelin pupil."

I want to thank Sonya for her generous review!

Please visit the examiner.com site. And especially visit Sonya's Led Zeppelin Examiner site:

http://www.examiner.com/led-zeppelin-in-national/sonya-alexander