2022 Album Reviews
(highlighted text within reviews links to YouTube clips or web-pages, etc.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(highlighted text within reviews links to YouTube clips or web-pages, etc.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardours - Anatomy of a Moment
Ardours, formed around the talented duo of Italian vocalist Mariangela Demurtas (of Norwegian Goth-metal band Tristania) and fellow Italian Kris Laurent (guitars, bass, keys, production) are deemed to be, or heard as, a modern Euro rock/ alt-metal band.
But that doesn’t tell the full, distinct sounding story.
As second album Anatomy Of A Moment showcases to extremely good effect, Ardours don’t so much straddle as blur the lines between alt-rock & alt-pop, metal and goth (with 80s new wave as the glue that binds).
As with 2019 debut album Last Place On Earth, Mariangela Demurtas' Tristania band mate, drummer Tarald Lie, also contributes, including songwriting.
The results are a duo-come-triumvirate with a sound and style that separates them from the many times all too similar sounding Euro rock/ metal pack.
Opener 'Epitaph For a Spark' proves that individualistic, sonic point.
From a repeating and bubbly synth pulse the song builds from staccato drums to a full-bloodied, hook-driven chorus and soaring, well controlled vocals (Mariangela Demurtas is a "pure" singer, in the sense that it’s all about the song and expression, not how many notes you might be able to force into one lyrical line).
As much new wave Euro-pop as melodic Goth metal (arguably more so) 'Epitaph For a Spark' is both infectious and captivating.
'Insomniac' is a continuation of the synth, guitars and rapid-fire staccato drums sound of 'Epitaph For A Spark' but with a slower paced hook-chorus that makes it all the more impacting.
'Identified' is a high-energy, rhythmic number that flits from spacey verses to melodic-hook choruses where pop-synths and metal guitars meet in a new wave embrace (there’s also a dreamier middle 8).
In short, if classic era Blondie had been a metal band…
The radio friendly AOR ante is upped with 'Secret Worlds.'
A classy blend of modern melodic Euro rock and creative alt-pop (and equally creative drum-parts), 'Secret Worlds' showcases the high-reaching vocality of Mariangela Demurtas while still leaving space for a melodic mini-shred on guitar from Kris Laurent. An earworm highlight.
'Cold Revenge' has a fittingly chilly disposition attached to its darker synth & vocal opening (one step removed from suspense movie soundtrack) before building its off-kilter rhythms around the "emotional dangers" of its lyric. It’s far from being the best song on the album but it’s certainly one of the most interesting in structure and arrangement.
The soft synth-pop opening of 'Given' soon develops through clever, almost Celtic rhythmic cadences, which add strength to the alt-pop underbelly of the number; a lovely vocal here too from Mariangela Demurtas.
The title track, which follows, is another that positively shimmers with energy as wall of sound guitars mix with new wave synth sheen and a tough as nails back-beat.
The slightly haunting 'Dead Weight' doesn’t quite match what has come before (the heavier second half of the song is almost too on the frantic drums/Goth metal money) but 'Unannounced,' which carries a distinctly 80s synth rock sound interspersed with heavier, contemporary Goth passages, gets things back on highly atmospheric track.
The album bows out on 'Chasing Whispers,' a song that encapsulates the atmospheric Ardours sound – plaintive, synth-dropped opening, interesting rhythmic build, huge shimmering guitar chords, a yearning, captivating vocal (and complementary guitar solo) and crescendo finish.
It’s the anatomy of but one moment in the structural growth of a band that’s on course to be one of the most musically effervescent in modern Euro rock.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But that doesn’t tell the full, distinct sounding story.
As second album Anatomy Of A Moment showcases to extremely good effect, Ardours don’t so much straddle as blur the lines between alt-rock & alt-pop, metal and goth (with 80s new wave as the glue that binds).
As with 2019 debut album Last Place On Earth, Mariangela Demurtas' Tristania band mate, drummer Tarald Lie, also contributes, including songwriting.
The results are a duo-come-triumvirate with a sound and style that separates them from the many times all too similar sounding Euro rock/ metal pack.
Opener 'Epitaph For a Spark' proves that individualistic, sonic point.
From a repeating and bubbly synth pulse the song builds from staccato drums to a full-bloodied, hook-driven chorus and soaring, well controlled vocals (Mariangela Demurtas is a "pure" singer, in the sense that it’s all about the song and expression, not how many notes you might be able to force into one lyrical line).
As much new wave Euro-pop as melodic Goth metal (arguably more so) 'Epitaph For a Spark' is both infectious and captivating.
'Insomniac' is a continuation of the synth, guitars and rapid-fire staccato drums sound of 'Epitaph For A Spark' but with a slower paced hook-chorus that makes it all the more impacting.
'Identified' is a high-energy, rhythmic number that flits from spacey verses to melodic-hook choruses where pop-synths and metal guitars meet in a new wave embrace (there’s also a dreamier middle 8).
In short, if classic era Blondie had been a metal band…
The radio friendly AOR ante is upped with 'Secret Worlds.'
A classy blend of modern melodic Euro rock and creative alt-pop (and equally creative drum-parts), 'Secret Worlds' showcases the high-reaching vocality of Mariangela Demurtas while still leaving space for a melodic mini-shred on guitar from Kris Laurent. An earworm highlight.
'Cold Revenge' has a fittingly chilly disposition attached to its darker synth & vocal opening (one step removed from suspense movie soundtrack) before building its off-kilter rhythms around the "emotional dangers" of its lyric. It’s far from being the best song on the album but it’s certainly one of the most interesting in structure and arrangement.
The soft synth-pop opening of 'Given' soon develops through clever, almost Celtic rhythmic cadences, which add strength to the alt-pop underbelly of the number; a lovely vocal here too from Mariangela Demurtas.
The title track, which follows, is another that positively shimmers with energy as wall of sound guitars mix with new wave synth sheen and a tough as nails back-beat.
The slightly haunting 'Dead Weight' doesn’t quite match what has come before (the heavier second half of the song is almost too on the frantic drums/Goth metal money) but 'Unannounced,' which carries a distinctly 80s synth rock sound interspersed with heavier, contemporary Goth passages, gets things back on highly atmospheric track.
The album bows out on 'Chasing Whispers,' a song that encapsulates the atmospheric Ardours sound – plaintive, synth-dropped opening, interesting rhythmic build, huge shimmering guitar chords, a yearning, captivating vocal (and complementary guitar solo) and crescendo finish.
It’s the anatomy of but one moment in the structural growth of a band that’s on course to be one of the most musically effervescent in modern Euro rock.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Gwyn Ashton – mojosoul
As underlined by the title of the latest album from British based blues artist Gwyn Ashton, his musical mojo and blues soul just keep on keepin’ on.
Right now however Gwyn Ashton is alive and gigging in his ‘other home’ of Australia, where he has been situated since the pandemic – 'locked down' in Adelaide, Ashton put the spare time to good use, recording 110 brand new songs; mojosoul is the first album to come from those incredibly prolific sessions.
mojosoul is all the more significant given it’s not just Gwyn Ashton's tenth album but a celebration of 50 years to the (birth)day since he started to play guitar back in 1972 as a twelve-year-old.
It’s also, other than stomp-beat electric guitar opener 'By Your Side' (which carries plenty of swampy-blues authenticity through its arrangement and Gwyn Ashton’s blues-worn vocal) an acoustic based album, augmented by foot percussion and, on one song, an outing for the ‘ol blues harp.
The album's acoustic stylings also allow for various blues-hued styles, from folk and ragtime to boogie and delta-blues.
While Gwyn Ashton can also rock (make that rawk) the blues, heard to fine effect on earlier albums such as Prohibition, it's when in solo mode with a guitar in his hands (in this case a 1930 National Steel, a Martin Acoustic, some fuller-bodied 12-string moments and, for the electric number, a 1960s Harmony H-75 (see "blues authenticity" above) that Ashton is at his earthiest, and honest.
mojosoul is also his most personal album to date.
A number of songs are clearly autobiographical (one-man-and-his-acoustic number 'The Ballad of Gwyn Ashton' is 62 years of life in just under five country-folk-blues minutes), while others point to recent global events (the acoustic boogie and blues harp augmented '12,000 miles' is about being caught up in, first, the Australian bush fires before Covid came calling).
Even media hype and don’t-let-the-truth-get-in-the-way-of-a-good-story news feeds get a deserved lyrical kicking, via the blues-punky acoustic punch of 'No More' ("it could be lies it could be truth, no-one supplies the living proof, we’re all supposed to trust what’s on the news…")
The latter track is followed by what could be its lyrically related sequel, 'Take Your Medication.'
Co-written with Australian singer-songwriter-guitarist Garry Allen, the song points its funky-folk blues finger at the gullible ("swallow a lie that will take you there, swallow the lie where the truth don’t dare").
Other "Acoustic Ashton" nuggets include the heavy acoustic vibe of 'Vanish Into Thin Air' (not so much a love lost as a love that "grabbed her bags and suitcase then she hit the road"), the reflective, country-folk guitar picking of 'Yesterday’s Me (Cool, Cool Water)' (also co-written with Garry Allen) and delicate and sparse closing number 'The Perfect Day To Sing The Blues,' which carries a subtle psychedelic feel through its echoey and reverbed vocal parts.
Yep, Gwyn Ashton just keeps on keepin’ on – more power to his mojosoul, no matter what continent he may be on.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
mojosoul can be purchased on bandcamp: https://gwynashton.bandcamp.com/album/mojosoul
Right now however Gwyn Ashton is alive and gigging in his ‘other home’ of Australia, where he has been situated since the pandemic – 'locked down' in Adelaide, Ashton put the spare time to good use, recording 110 brand new songs; mojosoul is the first album to come from those incredibly prolific sessions.
mojosoul is all the more significant given it’s not just Gwyn Ashton's tenth album but a celebration of 50 years to the (birth)day since he started to play guitar back in 1972 as a twelve-year-old.
It’s also, other than stomp-beat electric guitar opener 'By Your Side' (which carries plenty of swampy-blues authenticity through its arrangement and Gwyn Ashton’s blues-worn vocal) an acoustic based album, augmented by foot percussion and, on one song, an outing for the ‘ol blues harp.
The album's acoustic stylings also allow for various blues-hued styles, from folk and ragtime to boogie and delta-blues.
While Gwyn Ashton can also rock (make that rawk) the blues, heard to fine effect on earlier albums such as Prohibition, it's when in solo mode with a guitar in his hands (in this case a 1930 National Steel, a Martin Acoustic, some fuller-bodied 12-string moments and, for the electric number, a 1960s Harmony H-75 (see "blues authenticity" above) that Ashton is at his earthiest, and honest.
mojosoul is also his most personal album to date.
A number of songs are clearly autobiographical (one-man-and-his-acoustic number 'The Ballad of Gwyn Ashton' is 62 years of life in just under five country-folk-blues minutes), while others point to recent global events (the acoustic boogie and blues harp augmented '12,000 miles' is about being caught up in, first, the Australian bush fires before Covid came calling).
Even media hype and don’t-let-the-truth-get-in-the-way-of-a-good-story news feeds get a deserved lyrical kicking, via the blues-punky acoustic punch of 'No More' ("it could be lies it could be truth, no-one supplies the living proof, we’re all supposed to trust what’s on the news…")
The latter track is followed by what could be its lyrically related sequel, 'Take Your Medication.'
Co-written with Australian singer-songwriter-guitarist Garry Allen, the song points its funky-folk blues finger at the gullible ("swallow a lie that will take you there, swallow the lie where the truth don’t dare").
Other "Acoustic Ashton" nuggets include the heavy acoustic vibe of 'Vanish Into Thin Air' (not so much a love lost as a love that "grabbed her bags and suitcase then she hit the road"), the reflective, country-folk guitar picking of 'Yesterday’s Me (Cool, Cool Water)' (also co-written with Garry Allen) and delicate and sparse closing number 'The Perfect Day To Sing The Blues,' which carries a subtle psychedelic feel through its echoey and reverbed vocal parts.
Yep, Gwyn Ashton just keeps on keepin’ on – more power to his mojosoul, no matter what continent he may be on.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
mojosoul can be purchased on bandcamp: https://gwynashton.bandcamp.com/album/mojosoul
Elles Bailey – Shining in the Half Light
Rootsy blues singer-songwriter Elles Bailey is certainly not resting on the laurels of her UK Blues Artist of the Year accolades for both 2020 & 2021.
Having made the most of the recent lockdowns to produce a series of award nominated 'cover version livestreams' entitled Ain’t Nothing But (resulting in
a live album of the same name) she also found time to record her third and, as it turns out, rather excellent studio album Shining in the Half Light.
(Debut album Wildfire and sophomore release Road I Call Home were very good, and great, respectively, but the third time is the bluesy Nashville inspired charm).
By no accident but clear design the chain gang styled rhythm that forms the backbone of opening number 'Cheats and Liars,' coupled with Elles Bailey’s mix of husky pleading and vocal ire, dovetail perfectly with a finger pointing lyric aimed four square at governmental indifference towards the arts and artists shackled during lockdown, and shocked at the "learn to retrain" response to their plight. "Sing another song for the cheat’s and the liars" indeed.
It’s an understated yet hugely impacting opening, one that heralds in the broader scoped blues picture of Shining in the Half Light, as laid down by Elles Bailey, her core band of right hand man Joe Wilkins (guitars), Jonny Henderson (keys), Matthew Waer (bass) and Matthew Jones (drums), backing singers Izo Fitzroy, Andrusilla Mosely & Jade Elliot and, on two of the ten songs, guitarist Kris Donegan.
Following number 'The Game' is a rootsy, foot tapping blues delight with hand clap choruses (and great slide work from Joe Wilkins) while the swampy 'Stones' is another winner, with clever vocal and guitar tandem lines and sparingly used but highly effective backing vocals.
On the subject of vocals, bringing in singer Izo Fitzroy as not just lead backing vocalist but utilising her talents as a vocal arranger was a mini master stroke.
Kudos here too for the choice of producer – Elles Bailey and rock producer Dan Weller swim in very different musical waters but Weller has captured exactly what Elles Bailey and her band are all about (nod here too for the excellent mix by Steve Blackmon).
The Gospel tinged 'Colours Start to Run' and Nashville styled ballad 'Different Kind of Love' allow the husky tones of Elles Bailey to shine not in the half light but the full spotlight glow of emotive and beautifully phrased vocality (and kudos once again to the backing vocals on both numbers).
The lyrically darker 'Who’s That' is slow, sultry and not a little soul-hypnotic (a song Amy Winehouse, if she was still with us, would have a Devil of a good time with); by contrast 'Sunshine City' is a mighty fine slice of Nashville rock and roll (belying the fact the album was actually recorded in Devon) with a side of slide boogie.
Even more Nashville is the bittersweet blues of regret that is 'Halfway House,' Elles Bailey and the backing singers in perfect vocal harmony over lines such as "I traded us in for this halfway house, cannot be together, can’t be without… where are we now?"
Now that, music loving ladies and gentlemen, is a blues song.
The bluesy AOR soul of 'Riding Out the Storm' carries similar what happened lyricism ("oh what a beautiful mess we have made of this story… where did it all go wrong?) but with an upbeat vibe that carries the message and hope of the song’s title.
The album concludes with the rhythmic and semi-atmospheric title track, a spacey blues that nods to the half light of lockdown and lack of contact ("here we are lost in the in-between, reaching out to each other through a cold glass screen, losing our grip on a dystopian dream").
Given Elles Bailey was six months pregnant at the time of recording, it's fitting the album was also conceived and birthed through lockdown.
It’s also somewhat ironic, but immensely satisfying, to be able to say this particular lockdown work is Elles Bailey’s breakout album.
Stick that in your ivory towers, all you Cheats and Liars.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Having made the most of the recent lockdowns to produce a series of award nominated 'cover version livestreams' entitled Ain’t Nothing But (resulting in
a live album of the same name) she also found time to record her third and, as it turns out, rather excellent studio album Shining in the Half Light.
(Debut album Wildfire and sophomore release Road I Call Home were very good, and great, respectively, but the third time is the bluesy Nashville inspired charm).
By no accident but clear design the chain gang styled rhythm that forms the backbone of opening number 'Cheats and Liars,' coupled with Elles Bailey’s mix of husky pleading and vocal ire, dovetail perfectly with a finger pointing lyric aimed four square at governmental indifference towards the arts and artists shackled during lockdown, and shocked at the "learn to retrain" response to their plight. "Sing another song for the cheat’s and the liars" indeed.
It’s an understated yet hugely impacting opening, one that heralds in the broader scoped blues picture of Shining in the Half Light, as laid down by Elles Bailey, her core band of right hand man Joe Wilkins (guitars), Jonny Henderson (keys), Matthew Waer (bass) and Matthew Jones (drums), backing singers Izo Fitzroy, Andrusilla Mosely & Jade Elliot and, on two of the ten songs, guitarist Kris Donegan.
Following number 'The Game' is a rootsy, foot tapping blues delight with hand clap choruses (and great slide work from Joe Wilkins) while the swampy 'Stones' is another winner, with clever vocal and guitar tandem lines and sparingly used but highly effective backing vocals.
On the subject of vocals, bringing in singer Izo Fitzroy as not just lead backing vocalist but utilising her talents as a vocal arranger was a mini master stroke.
Kudos here too for the choice of producer – Elles Bailey and rock producer Dan Weller swim in very different musical waters but Weller has captured exactly what Elles Bailey and her band are all about (nod here too for the excellent mix by Steve Blackmon).
The Gospel tinged 'Colours Start to Run' and Nashville styled ballad 'Different Kind of Love' allow the husky tones of Elles Bailey to shine not in the half light but the full spotlight glow of emotive and beautifully phrased vocality (and kudos once again to the backing vocals on both numbers).
The lyrically darker 'Who’s That' is slow, sultry and not a little soul-hypnotic (a song Amy Winehouse, if she was still with us, would have a Devil of a good time with); by contrast 'Sunshine City' is a mighty fine slice of Nashville rock and roll (belying the fact the album was actually recorded in Devon) with a side of slide boogie.
Even more Nashville is the bittersweet blues of regret that is 'Halfway House,' Elles Bailey and the backing singers in perfect vocal harmony over lines such as "I traded us in for this halfway house, cannot be together, can’t be without… where are we now?"
Now that, music loving ladies and gentlemen, is a blues song.
The bluesy AOR soul of 'Riding Out the Storm' carries similar what happened lyricism ("oh what a beautiful mess we have made of this story… where did it all go wrong?) but with an upbeat vibe that carries the message and hope of the song’s title.
The album concludes with the rhythmic and semi-atmospheric title track, a spacey blues that nods to the half light of lockdown and lack of contact ("here we are lost in the in-between, reaching out to each other through a cold glass screen, losing our grip on a dystopian dream").
Given Elles Bailey was six months pregnant at the time of recording, it's fitting the album was also conceived and birthed through lockdown.
It’s also somewhat ironic, but immensely satisfying, to be able to say this particular lockdown work is Elles Bailey’s breakout album.
Stick that in your ivory towers, all you Cheats and Liars.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
KB Bayley – Flatlands
Singer-songwriter-guitarist KB Bayley has such an honest and intimate heartland folk-blues style about him (heard to musically delicate and immersive storytelling effect on his critically acclaimed 2021 "lockdown" recorded album Little Thunderstorms) that you may well be searching to see what part of those Americana heartlands across the bluesy pond he was born and raised in.
But a north-east of England birth, raised in the south of the country and London based, along with the charm of his storytelling English voice (if Al Stewart told his own storytelling tales in a folk-blues setting…) gives the home-grown game away.
As does the fact his songs are as inspired by the "rain swept seaside towns of modern Britain" as they are Nashville or the early 70s folk-blues troubadours.
For new album Flatlands KB Bayley has retained the intimacy and plaintive starkness of Little Thunderstorms but delivered a work that’s even more evocative; here the lyrics tell of the aftermath of events that touch us all, from the large and small to the uplifting and heartbreaking, as delivered by the singer, two vintage mics and his open tuned Weissenborn guitar (Bayley’s storytelling instrument of fond choice, upon which he has a delicate and deft touch).
That finger-picking delicacy is to the fore on the reflective title track, which opens the short, sincere and sweet album (ten songs that span a total of 35 minutes).
The forlorn harmonica (courtesy of Gavin Thomas) that opens 'Driftwood Avenue' (and accompanies the song throughout) adds to the beautiful starkness of a song that nods to memories, and change ("remember the bars, we drunk them dry; we rode through the streets under a diamond sky; now there’s just a red light and a hole on the ground…")
The softness of 'Comet Girl' showcases how close-miked these intimate recordings are (you can clearly hear the scrape of string noise) before the first of four covers makes an appearance, Jean Ritchie’s Kentucky Mountain song 'The L & N Don’t Stop Here Anymore.'
(It’s also worth noting all four covers dovetail beautifully with KB Bayley’s own compositions, in style, Weissenborn arrangement and lyrical narrative).
Alongside the Jean Ritchie cover you’ll find the short and love-sweet 'Johnsburg, Illinois' by Tom Waits, the lyrical bad luck/ foreboding of 'The Black Crow Keeps on Flying' by Kelly Joe Phelps (the bluesiest number of the album) and the questioning 'Maybe It’s Time' by Jason Isbell, as sung by Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born.
The other self-penned songs are "starting again" number 'Year Zero' (which again features Gavin Thomas on blues harmonica), the folksier country of 'Time Machine' (“going to build a time machine, start it up and lock the door, flying here with you I’m not needing too much more") and the melancholic heartbreak of 'World Without You' (the time-moves-on antithesis of 'Time Machine').
Little Thunderstorms received deservedly glowing reviews and widespread airplay, including BBC Radio shows hosted by Ricky Ross, Robert Elms, Eve Blair and Iain Anderson.
Flatlands deserves no less acclaim and airplay accolades for KB Bayley, an old-soul troubadour for the modern world.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But a north-east of England birth, raised in the south of the country and London based, along with the charm of his storytelling English voice (if Al Stewart told his own storytelling tales in a folk-blues setting…) gives the home-grown game away.
As does the fact his songs are as inspired by the "rain swept seaside towns of modern Britain" as they are Nashville or the early 70s folk-blues troubadours.
For new album Flatlands KB Bayley has retained the intimacy and plaintive starkness of Little Thunderstorms but delivered a work that’s even more evocative; here the lyrics tell of the aftermath of events that touch us all, from the large and small to the uplifting and heartbreaking, as delivered by the singer, two vintage mics and his open tuned Weissenborn guitar (Bayley’s storytelling instrument of fond choice, upon which he has a delicate and deft touch).
That finger-picking delicacy is to the fore on the reflective title track, which opens the short, sincere and sweet album (ten songs that span a total of 35 minutes).
The forlorn harmonica (courtesy of Gavin Thomas) that opens 'Driftwood Avenue' (and accompanies the song throughout) adds to the beautiful starkness of a song that nods to memories, and change ("remember the bars, we drunk them dry; we rode through the streets under a diamond sky; now there’s just a red light and a hole on the ground…")
The softness of 'Comet Girl' showcases how close-miked these intimate recordings are (you can clearly hear the scrape of string noise) before the first of four covers makes an appearance, Jean Ritchie’s Kentucky Mountain song 'The L & N Don’t Stop Here Anymore.'
(It’s also worth noting all four covers dovetail beautifully with KB Bayley’s own compositions, in style, Weissenborn arrangement and lyrical narrative).
Alongside the Jean Ritchie cover you’ll find the short and love-sweet 'Johnsburg, Illinois' by Tom Waits, the lyrical bad luck/ foreboding of 'The Black Crow Keeps on Flying' by Kelly Joe Phelps (the bluesiest number of the album) and the questioning 'Maybe It’s Time' by Jason Isbell, as sung by Bradley Cooper in A Star is Born.
The other self-penned songs are "starting again" number 'Year Zero' (which again features Gavin Thomas on blues harmonica), the folksier country of 'Time Machine' (“going to build a time machine, start it up and lock the door, flying here with you I’m not needing too much more") and the melancholic heartbreak of 'World Without You' (the time-moves-on antithesis of 'Time Machine').
Little Thunderstorms received deservedly glowing reviews and widespread airplay, including BBC Radio shows hosted by Ricky Ross, Robert Elms, Eve Blair and Iain Anderson.
Flatlands deserves no less acclaim and airplay accolades for KB Bayley, an old-soul troubadour for the modern world.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Blackleaf 40 – Blackleaf 40
Ayrshire based septet Blackleaf 40 have made a name for themselves over the last decade and more as a solid and engaging live band who ply their trade in melodic blues rock, which formed the core sound of 2015 debut album Artificial Bliss.
Seven years on the Scottish band – Alex Hood & John Dickson (rhythm & lead guitars); Norrie Dickson (bass); Arnie Burgoyne (keys); Chad Rae (lead vocals & harmonica); Julie Merry (backing vocals & percussion); Brian Fleming & Steve Scott (drums) – have released the eponymously named follow up.
While self-titled releases tend to be (but not always) debut albums or first EPs, the band’s progression and development as songwriters, arrangers and players mean this album is, more definitively, Blackleaf 40.
The progression mentioned is actually two-fold as there are clear and discernible progressive tendencies at play here, albeit within what are pretty concise tracks – of the 11 songs on offer only three make it over the five minute barrier, two of which are longer form numbers.
Opener 'Soup du Jour,' for example, is a four-minute instrumental that plays out like a piece twice its length, courtesy of atmospheric Gilmour-esque guitar lines set over Floydian keys and a rhythm that develops into a groove before returning to the sparser sound of its opening. Not so much Pink Floyd as Blue(s) Floyd.
'Run & Hide' is a funkier affair, with a bluesy groove supporting Chad Rae’s vocal and Julie Merry’s accompaniment; the more downtempo and acoustic backed 'Stories of the Damned,' which follows, is more akin to a contemporary melodic blues ballad.
The band get their swampier blues on for 'What If' (with short but tasty blues lickin' solo) before the first of the two long-form numbers, the six-minute 'Somewhere South of Hell,' sees the band travel down a slow (and fittingly southern-tinged) darker blues road before exiting on a melodically charged guitar solo and short piano finale.
The other long-form number, the eight-minute 'No Return,' is equally impressive.
A melodically progressive slow blues ballad, 'No Return' features subtle guitar chording, some understated but lovely lead and harmony vocal work and a delicately phrased guitar solo that doesn’t so much play as drift across the song’s final two minutes.
Elsewhere you'll find the soulful, slow-building melodic blues 'Not Where I Belong,' the bluesy groove of 'Big Thief' (which is hard not to finger-snap along to), the decidedly funky-blues of 'St Louis' (featuring Towerin' Memphis Stax on saxophone) and the rhythmic, AOR appeal of 'Wild Free.'
The album closes out much as it opened with a Floydian styled instrumental (in this case plaintive guitar cries over bass and piano) entitled 'No Words.'
Artificial Bliss was a pleasant if far less broad offering.
But Blackleaf 40, much like the alkaloid the band is named after, is a far more addictive experience.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Stream/ listen to Blackleaf 40 at dhttps://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/blackleaf40/blackleaf-40
Stream/ listen to Artificial Bliss at https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/blackleaf40/artificial-bliss
Seven years on the Scottish band – Alex Hood & John Dickson (rhythm & lead guitars); Norrie Dickson (bass); Arnie Burgoyne (keys); Chad Rae (lead vocals & harmonica); Julie Merry (backing vocals & percussion); Brian Fleming & Steve Scott (drums) – have released the eponymously named follow up.
While self-titled releases tend to be (but not always) debut albums or first EPs, the band’s progression and development as songwriters, arrangers and players mean this album is, more definitively, Blackleaf 40.
The progression mentioned is actually two-fold as there are clear and discernible progressive tendencies at play here, albeit within what are pretty concise tracks – of the 11 songs on offer only three make it over the five minute barrier, two of which are longer form numbers.
Opener 'Soup du Jour,' for example, is a four-minute instrumental that plays out like a piece twice its length, courtesy of atmospheric Gilmour-esque guitar lines set over Floydian keys and a rhythm that develops into a groove before returning to the sparser sound of its opening. Not so much Pink Floyd as Blue(s) Floyd.
'Run & Hide' is a funkier affair, with a bluesy groove supporting Chad Rae’s vocal and Julie Merry’s accompaniment; the more downtempo and acoustic backed 'Stories of the Damned,' which follows, is more akin to a contemporary melodic blues ballad.
The band get their swampier blues on for 'What If' (with short but tasty blues lickin' solo) before the first of the two long-form numbers, the six-minute 'Somewhere South of Hell,' sees the band travel down a slow (and fittingly southern-tinged) darker blues road before exiting on a melodically charged guitar solo and short piano finale.
The other long-form number, the eight-minute 'No Return,' is equally impressive.
A melodically progressive slow blues ballad, 'No Return' features subtle guitar chording, some understated but lovely lead and harmony vocal work and a delicately phrased guitar solo that doesn’t so much play as drift across the song’s final two minutes.
Elsewhere you'll find the soulful, slow-building melodic blues 'Not Where I Belong,' the bluesy groove of 'Big Thief' (which is hard not to finger-snap along to), the decidedly funky-blues of 'St Louis' (featuring Towerin' Memphis Stax on saxophone) and the rhythmic, AOR appeal of 'Wild Free.'
The album closes out much as it opened with a Floydian styled instrumental (in this case plaintive guitar cries over bass and piano) entitled 'No Words.'
Artificial Bliss was a pleasant if far less broad offering.
But Blackleaf 40, much like the alkaloid the band is named after, is a far more addictive experience.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Stream/ listen to Blackleaf 40 at dhttps://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/blackleaf40/blackleaf-40
Stream/ listen to Artificial Bliss at https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/blackleaf40/artificial-bliss
Black Pearl – Black Pearl
Black Pearl, like the black lip oyster gem they are named after, produce a number of ever-shifting hues, as heard on their self-titled debut album.
Originally conceived as a lockdown song writing project between former Wishbone Ash guitarist Muddy Manninen (who delivered the rather tasty solo album River Flows in 2020) and broadcaster, music promoter and writer/ lyricist Pete Feenstra, the pair invited soulfully toned singer Marcus Malone (Malone Sibun, solo) to add voice to the project.
The original EP idea soon blossomed into a full album’s worth of material that encapsulates soul, blues rock, funk, Americana, Latino and gospel.
Additionally, Pete Feenstra’s thematic lyrical narratives, Muddy Manninen’s inspired and thoughtful guitar play and Marcus Malone’s soulful phrasing pretty much guaranteed a blues & soul based album, and set of songs, unlike any other.
Opening with the heavy groove of 'Angel Town' could be seen – or rather heard – as a brave move, given it’s the sort of slower pace song that would normally sit in the middle (or even at the end) of an album’s track sequencing.
But the soul-bluesy number about big city survival sets the downtempo and, at times, languid (in a good way) and relaxed tone of the album (that there’s also a touch of Free in 'Angel Town' is no bad thing).
Following number 'Cheap Perfume' is a charming piece of bluesy, late night Americana (with nice country guitar outro) while there’s a clearly intentional nod to Little Feat / Lowell George to be heard on 'Delivery Man,' the tale of a door-to-door gent desperate to settle down, tired of being "chased by shotgun wielding lovers."
A change-up is then provided by the radio friendly AOR blues-groove of 'Price on Love' (which sports a lovely harmony chorus) before the quirky and decidedly funky, slide guitar featured 'Luxury Girl' adds delightful contrast (the song is as "retro cool" as it’s lyric).
Equally funky, but carrying a Latino flavour that suits the song’s lyrical narrative, is 'Mexican Romance.'
It’s another that features some tasty Muddy Manninen licks and, working better than you may expect, a pseudo (and cheeky) rap outro from Marcus Malone ("good love beneath the poncho, señorita’s outta sight!").
Lyrically the slower 'Moment of Regret' is just that; Muddy Manninen delivers a nice wah-wah effected solo while a gospel styled backing accompanies Marcus Malone’s grittier, impassioned vocal delivery.
'Natural Light' shines like its title as the up-tempo, brash blues-rock number of the album (another not too far removed from Free; Marcus Malone carries more than a touch of Paul Rodgers on the vocal).
Further contrast then comes by way of 'Handmade Pearl' (the title track in everything but name), which has the smoothness of 70s soul sprinkled with tasteful Muddy Manninen blues licks and a syrupy vocal from Marcus Malone. A true album highlight,
'She Knows Every Move,' much like 'Delivery Man,' tips its hat to Lowell George (‘funky Feat’ anyone?) while the percussive groove and brooding rhythm of six-minute album closer 'With My Baby By My Side' acts as the perfect (and a touch blues-proggy) "be grateful for what you’ve got" finale.
Dive in to discover the various sheens of Black Pearl; it might well be 2022’s hidden soul-blues gem.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Originally conceived as a lockdown song writing project between former Wishbone Ash guitarist Muddy Manninen (who delivered the rather tasty solo album River Flows in 2020) and broadcaster, music promoter and writer/ lyricist Pete Feenstra, the pair invited soulfully toned singer Marcus Malone (Malone Sibun, solo) to add voice to the project.
The original EP idea soon blossomed into a full album’s worth of material that encapsulates soul, blues rock, funk, Americana, Latino and gospel.
Additionally, Pete Feenstra’s thematic lyrical narratives, Muddy Manninen’s inspired and thoughtful guitar play and Marcus Malone’s soulful phrasing pretty much guaranteed a blues & soul based album, and set of songs, unlike any other.
Opening with the heavy groove of 'Angel Town' could be seen – or rather heard – as a brave move, given it’s the sort of slower pace song that would normally sit in the middle (or even at the end) of an album’s track sequencing.
But the soul-bluesy number about big city survival sets the downtempo and, at times, languid (in a good way) and relaxed tone of the album (that there’s also a touch of Free in 'Angel Town' is no bad thing).
Following number 'Cheap Perfume' is a charming piece of bluesy, late night Americana (with nice country guitar outro) while there’s a clearly intentional nod to Little Feat / Lowell George to be heard on 'Delivery Man,' the tale of a door-to-door gent desperate to settle down, tired of being "chased by shotgun wielding lovers."
A change-up is then provided by the radio friendly AOR blues-groove of 'Price on Love' (which sports a lovely harmony chorus) before the quirky and decidedly funky, slide guitar featured 'Luxury Girl' adds delightful contrast (the song is as "retro cool" as it’s lyric).
Equally funky, but carrying a Latino flavour that suits the song’s lyrical narrative, is 'Mexican Romance.'
It’s another that features some tasty Muddy Manninen licks and, working better than you may expect, a pseudo (and cheeky) rap outro from Marcus Malone ("good love beneath the poncho, señorita’s outta sight!").
Lyrically the slower 'Moment of Regret' is just that; Muddy Manninen delivers a nice wah-wah effected solo while a gospel styled backing accompanies Marcus Malone’s grittier, impassioned vocal delivery.
'Natural Light' shines like its title as the up-tempo, brash blues-rock number of the album (another not too far removed from Free; Marcus Malone carries more than a touch of Paul Rodgers on the vocal).
Further contrast then comes by way of 'Handmade Pearl' (the title track in everything but name), which has the smoothness of 70s soul sprinkled with tasteful Muddy Manninen blues licks and a syrupy vocal from Marcus Malone. A true album highlight,
'She Knows Every Move,' much like 'Delivery Man,' tips its hat to Lowell George (‘funky Feat’ anyone?) while the percussive groove and brooding rhythm of six-minute album closer 'With My Baby By My Side' acts as the perfect (and a touch blues-proggy) "be grateful for what you’ve got" finale.
Dive in to discover the various sheens of Black Pearl; it might well be 2022’s hidden soul-blues gem.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Blue Nation – Echoes EP
An EP of 4 tracks doesn’t generally garner the same amount of page space as a full-length album, or at least not here at Fabbers Central.
But occasionally a little gem pops up that deserves not just that page space but wider exposure and far larger audience, which can also be said about the band behind the EP, Blue Nation.
A riff-based blues-rock-soul trio out of Birmingham fronted by guitarist & voice of the band (and not just in terms of lead vocals) Neil Murdoch, Blue Nation haven’t done too badly thank you very much.
Support slots to the likes of Skid Row, King King and Kris Barras (to name but three)... two tours of NYC’s Greenwich Village and Manhattan... prestigious slots such as the Main Music Stage at the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone (twice)... all have helped the cause, but the fact remains Blue Nation aren’t close to being where they deserve to be.
The band’s last, and to date best, studio album The Kaftan Society (2018) was a really solid, classic meets contemporary fusion of the rock-blues-soul sound but Neil Murdoch’s own comment that the reason behind the EP was "to take the songs to the next level" is pretty much on the Blue Nation money (bolstered by a recording, production and mixing job from Grammy award winning sound engineer Trevor Gibson).
Opener 'I Feel Low' is a moody, thick-riffed, heavy soul excursion with a deeper lyric about a friend who crossed a line (to the degree that said friendship was lost); the results are a vocal, musical and lyrical catharsis for Neil Murdoch, which adds to the gravitas of the song.
Kudos too for the tight rhythmic groove laid down by bassist Luke Weston and drummer Ben Brannelly.
'Come Back Home' is a lighter but no less impacting affair; while quite contemporary in vibe (featuring nice bubbly bass lines from Luke Weston and a weightier finale) you wouldn’t bat an eye (or ear) if you had heard it in the late 60s or early 70s.
The song also carries a simple but charmingly melodic chorus, where the voices of Neil Murdoch and Luke Weston dovetail delightfully in harmony.
A lament to a friend who has passed away, the opening delicacy of the title track soon gives way to a bigger chorus and a distinctly Indie-rock vibe, with big drums and slightly muted guitars (and, again, excellent / not over-used harmony and call-and-answer vocals).
The delicacy and weight of the number then continually swap places (great use of dynamics) until song's end.
The downtempo acoustic opening of 'The Reason' belies the fuller-bodied sonic of the mid-tempo closer, but with light and shade again employed (edgy guitars and heavy grooves dovetail with lighter harmony vocal passages – a Blue Nation trait).
Blue Nation have been featured by Planet Rock as "Ones to Watch" and were winners of The Introducing Stage at this year’s Great British Rock & Blues Festival.
The new EP, in its own way, is also (re)introducing the band – and if there’s any musical justice it won’t just be resonating as Echoes in the years to come.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But occasionally a little gem pops up that deserves not just that page space but wider exposure and far larger audience, which can also be said about the band behind the EP, Blue Nation.
A riff-based blues-rock-soul trio out of Birmingham fronted by guitarist & voice of the band (and not just in terms of lead vocals) Neil Murdoch, Blue Nation haven’t done too badly thank you very much.
Support slots to the likes of Skid Row, King King and Kris Barras (to name but three)... two tours of NYC’s Greenwich Village and Manhattan... prestigious slots such as the Main Music Stage at the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone (twice)... all have helped the cause, but the fact remains Blue Nation aren’t close to being where they deserve to be.
The band’s last, and to date best, studio album The Kaftan Society (2018) was a really solid, classic meets contemporary fusion of the rock-blues-soul sound but Neil Murdoch’s own comment that the reason behind the EP was "to take the songs to the next level" is pretty much on the Blue Nation money (bolstered by a recording, production and mixing job from Grammy award winning sound engineer Trevor Gibson).
Opener 'I Feel Low' is a moody, thick-riffed, heavy soul excursion with a deeper lyric about a friend who crossed a line (to the degree that said friendship was lost); the results are a vocal, musical and lyrical catharsis for Neil Murdoch, which adds to the gravitas of the song.
Kudos too for the tight rhythmic groove laid down by bassist Luke Weston and drummer Ben Brannelly.
'Come Back Home' is a lighter but no less impacting affair; while quite contemporary in vibe (featuring nice bubbly bass lines from Luke Weston and a weightier finale) you wouldn’t bat an eye (or ear) if you had heard it in the late 60s or early 70s.
The song also carries a simple but charmingly melodic chorus, where the voices of Neil Murdoch and Luke Weston dovetail delightfully in harmony.
A lament to a friend who has passed away, the opening delicacy of the title track soon gives way to a bigger chorus and a distinctly Indie-rock vibe, with big drums and slightly muted guitars (and, again, excellent / not over-used harmony and call-and-answer vocals).
The delicacy and weight of the number then continually swap places (great use of dynamics) until song's end.
The downtempo acoustic opening of 'The Reason' belies the fuller-bodied sonic of the mid-tempo closer, but with light and shade again employed (edgy guitars and heavy grooves dovetail with lighter harmony vocal passages – a Blue Nation trait).
Blue Nation have been featured by Planet Rock as "Ones to Watch" and were winners of The Introducing Stage at this year’s Great British Rock & Blues Festival.
The new EP, in its own way, is also (re)introducing the band – and if there’s any musical justice it won’t just be resonating as Echoes in the years to come.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Brave Rival – Life’s Machine
When it comes to citing the musicians and artists who benefited most from the Covid lockdowns of 2020 and 2012, Portsmouth based band Brave Rival are very near the top of that extended-time-to-write-and-record list.
Given the collective talents of the band – Ed Clarke (guitars), Donna Peters (drums, percussion), Billy Dedman (bass) and the excellent and expertly arranged dual female vocals of Chloe Josephine & Lindsey Bonnick, a blues-rock-solid debut was always on the cards.
But when the scheduled 2020 spring recording sessions were shelved, the band had an extra year to fine tune and write (upwards of 50 songs were completed).
The results are Life's Machine, not so much solid as pretty special, aided by a broad song style approach.
Anyone who has followed the progress of the band will be familiar with the opening brace of numbers, both of which were pre-album release singles.
The blues rockin’ 'Heart Attack' is underpinned by a chugging riff (and tasty solo), Hammond swirls (from contributing musician Jonny Henderson) and a nicely harmonised vocal section before hitting the home chorus straight; following number, the rhythm ‘n’ sultry blues of 'Guilty Love,' is equally ear-catching and appealing.
The results are a one-two punch that set up the following ten numbers, each offering variations on the Brave Rival rock sound (which includes blues, rock, soul and pop) and the exceptionally well delivered lead, dual and harmony vocals of Chloe Josephine and Lindsey Bonnick.
For the vocally impressive latter, look and listen no further to loss and longing number 'Without You.'
The song builds from its delicately backed and beautifully harmonised beginnings to become something of a mix between 80s pop-rock and early era Heart (the Wilson sisters, when in dovetailing vocal harmony, is an evident and obvious comparison; no bad thing).
The diverse yet cohesive Brave Rival sound is then expanded by, first, the pacey and sharper edged 'Run And Hide' (with big melodic vocal choruses) followed by the slower 'Come Down.'
The latter, featuring an outstanding, ever-lifting vocal from Chloe Josephine, excellent blues-crying solo from Ed Clarke and a weighty support performance from Donna Peters and Billy Dedman, proves the band can power-blues it up as well as they can rock out.
Similarly slow-building and bluesy, but in a more spacious soul-gospel setting, is 'Long Time Coming.'
It may be the simplest of the twelve tracks in arrangement, but the atmosphere created (and big, multi-voiced "Bavarian Choir" finish, fronted by the impressive voice of Lindsey Bonnick) makes for one of the album’s highlights.
The swampy slide blues and body swaying 'What’s Your Name Again?' adds yet another colour as well as being unashamedly libido-driven ("how did I get here… and into your bed?").
'Secrets,' driven by a strong and bubbly bass line, is another that carries a little 80s appeal (if Pat Benatar did sultry blues rock); following number 'Thin Ice' is a more contemporary, big industrial beat slice of vocally punctuated rock-blues.
'Fool Of You,' with its Aretha influenced vocal intro (and another great bass line), is a funkier, 70s rhythm and soul styled affair that acts as a vehicle for Chloe Josephine & Lindsey Bonnick to stand vocally tall in soul-sassy harmony.
A pair of slow moving, six-minute numbers close out the album as impressively as the up-tempo brace that opened proceedings.
Love triangle tale 'Break Me' is another slow blues that impresses in vocal prowess & vocal arrangement (and a return of the "Bavarian Choir") and a great, melodically charged solo from Ed Clarke.
The vocal rise and fall of melancholic but moving rock ballad 'Life’s Machine' (written about grieving and loss suffered during the global pandemic and featuring Ian Shepherd on grand piano) produces a final highlight and yet another great solo from Ed Clarke, who may well be the band’s secret weapon (and surely a rising star of the British blues/ rock scene).
Brave Rival. Bravura Results.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Given the collective talents of the band – Ed Clarke (guitars), Donna Peters (drums, percussion), Billy Dedman (bass) and the excellent and expertly arranged dual female vocals of Chloe Josephine & Lindsey Bonnick, a blues-rock-solid debut was always on the cards.
But when the scheduled 2020 spring recording sessions were shelved, the band had an extra year to fine tune and write (upwards of 50 songs were completed).
The results are Life's Machine, not so much solid as pretty special, aided by a broad song style approach.
Anyone who has followed the progress of the band will be familiar with the opening brace of numbers, both of which were pre-album release singles.
The blues rockin’ 'Heart Attack' is underpinned by a chugging riff (and tasty solo), Hammond swirls (from contributing musician Jonny Henderson) and a nicely harmonised vocal section before hitting the home chorus straight; following number, the rhythm ‘n’ sultry blues of 'Guilty Love,' is equally ear-catching and appealing.
The results are a one-two punch that set up the following ten numbers, each offering variations on the Brave Rival rock sound (which includes blues, rock, soul and pop) and the exceptionally well delivered lead, dual and harmony vocals of Chloe Josephine and Lindsey Bonnick.
For the vocally impressive latter, look and listen no further to loss and longing number 'Without You.'
The song builds from its delicately backed and beautifully harmonised beginnings to become something of a mix between 80s pop-rock and early era Heart (the Wilson sisters, when in dovetailing vocal harmony, is an evident and obvious comparison; no bad thing).
The diverse yet cohesive Brave Rival sound is then expanded by, first, the pacey and sharper edged 'Run And Hide' (with big melodic vocal choruses) followed by the slower 'Come Down.'
The latter, featuring an outstanding, ever-lifting vocal from Chloe Josephine, excellent blues-crying solo from Ed Clarke and a weighty support performance from Donna Peters and Billy Dedman, proves the band can power-blues it up as well as they can rock out.
Similarly slow-building and bluesy, but in a more spacious soul-gospel setting, is 'Long Time Coming.'
It may be the simplest of the twelve tracks in arrangement, but the atmosphere created (and big, multi-voiced "Bavarian Choir" finish, fronted by the impressive voice of Lindsey Bonnick) makes for one of the album’s highlights.
The swampy slide blues and body swaying 'What’s Your Name Again?' adds yet another colour as well as being unashamedly libido-driven ("how did I get here… and into your bed?").
'Secrets,' driven by a strong and bubbly bass line, is another that carries a little 80s appeal (if Pat Benatar did sultry blues rock); following number 'Thin Ice' is a more contemporary, big industrial beat slice of vocally punctuated rock-blues.
'Fool Of You,' with its Aretha influenced vocal intro (and another great bass line), is a funkier, 70s rhythm and soul styled affair that acts as a vehicle for Chloe Josephine & Lindsey Bonnick to stand vocally tall in soul-sassy harmony.
A pair of slow moving, six-minute numbers close out the album as impressively as the up-tempo brace that opened proceedings.
Love triangle tale 'Break Me' is another slow blues that impresses in vocal prowess & vocal arrangement (and a return of the "Bavarian Choir") and a great, melodically charged solo from Ed Clarke.
The vocal rise and fall of melancholic but moving rock ballad 'Life’s Machine' (written about grieving and loss suffered during the global pandemic and featuring Ian Shepherd on grand piano) produces a final highlight and yet another great solo from Ed Clarke, who may well be the band’s secret weapon (and surely a rising star of the British blues/ rock scene).
Brave Rival. Bravura Results.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Burnt Out Wreck – Stand And Fight
Burnt Out Wreck are, as FabricationsHQ has previously stated and been quoted on, as musically unpretentious as they are an outstanding old-school, classic guitar-rock outfit.
Front man and songwriter Gary Moat, now more than three decades removed from the original Heavy Pettin, is still proving Rock Ain’t Dead but on very much his own terms, with uncompromising riff-led rock that takes the essence of AC/DC and adds sonic swagger and raucous roll in equal measure.
Those traits were heard to fine effect on debut album Swallow and darker sophomore release This is Hell, but Stand And Fight contains, as Gary Moat said in pre-release, eleven of the best songs he’s written, positively inspired by the negativity of "the worst one and a half years of my life."
The thick and weighty guitar chorded riff that introduces opening number 'Big Up Yourself' doesn’t just set up the mood of the song (a brooding mid-tempo with biting title-chorus shout), it’s also a musical portent for much of the album; a weighty guitar-rock proposition that, on many a number, isn’t lyrically missing and hitting the wall.
'Big Up Yourself' (which sports a tasty/ not overplayed solo from new BOW guitarist Richard Upson) is also a fine example of the aforementioned finger pointing, here directed four-square at those that exaggerate their importance for personal gain (they also walk among us in various music circles, sadly).
The title track, which follows, is the band’s major Bon Scott-era AC/DC moment (every Burnt Out Wreck album has a couple; no bad thing).
Another mid-tempo with a guitar rhythm Malcolm Young would have been proud of (and a short solo from Richard Upson that isn’t too far removed from the School of Angus) 'Stand And Fight' musically bites as much as it defiantly snarls through its lyric.
'Lion' then eschews guitar bite and solid 4/4 beat for cheeky swagger and a groovin’ rhythm (courtesy of drummer Paul Gray and bassist Alex Carmichael) while the near seven-minute 'Ain’t Done Nothing Wrong' is the moodier, bluesier and slower tempo’d side of the band (and an album highlight).
'More Than Anything' picks up the pace and adds some AC/DC styled rock and roll punch before 'Pain And Suffering' drops the tempo but not the intensity, its heavy blues undercurrent perfectly complementing the lyrical theme (kudos again here for the guitar solo that gives the song exactly what it needs).
'Turpentine' and 'Blood Sweat And Tears' both sit around the six-minute mark but neither outstay their welcome.
The former is another with bags of early AC/DC attitude while also vocally highlighting why Gary Moat has been described as a Bon Scott / Marc Storace hybrid.
The latter, which opens with seagull cries and short, softer opening, then raises the volume (and defiance meter) to make itself, and the oppressed subjects of the song’s lyric, heard ("they tried to change us, they tried to pull us down; they tried to break us, they never will… this town was made from blood sweat and tears"). Another highlight.
'Wake Up' is catchy, mid-paced BOW guitar rock ‘n’ roll but penultimate song 'Take it Or Leave it' makes up for lost (double) time by delivering not just a lyrical ultimatum but fast-paced, punky-metal punch.
Complete contrast is provided by closing number 'I’m a Loser Too,' a somewhat unexpected slow country blues boogie that perfectly complements the self-pitying lyric (think Status Quo after too many hours spent at the Burnt Out Wreck Whisky (natch) bar).
It’s a surprising end to an unsurprisingly good album.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Stand And Fight on all digital platforms: https://ampl.ink/m3qKD
CD version on BurntOut Wreckords via Cadiz Music, at Cadiz merch store and Amazon UK
Front man and songwriter Gary Moat, now more than three decades removed from the original Heavy Pettin, is still proving Rock Ain’t Dead but on very much his own terms, with uncompromising riff-led rock that takes the essence of AC/DC and adds sonic swagger and raucous roll in equal measure.
Those traits were heard to fine effect on debut album Swallow and darker sophomore release This is Hell, but Stand And Fight contains, as Gary Moat said in pre-release, eleven of the best songs he’s written, positively inspired by the negativity of "the worst one and a half years of my life."
The thick and weighty guitar chorded riff that introduces opening number 'Big Up Yourself' doesn’t just set up the mood of the song (a brooding mid-tempo with biting title-chorus shout), it’s also a musical portent for much of the album; a weighty guitar-rock proposition that, on many a number, isn’t lyrically missing and hitting the wall.
'Big Up Yourself' (which sports a tasty/ not overplayed solo from new BOW guitarist Richard Upson) is also a fine example of the aforementioned finger pointing, here directed four-square at those that exaggerate their importance for personal gain (they also walk among us in various music circles, sadly).
The title track, which follows, is the band’s major Bon Scott-era AC/DC moment (every Burnt Out Wreck album has a couple; no bad thing).
Another mid-tempo with a guitar rhythm Malcolm Young would have been proud of (and a short solo from Richard Upson that isn’t too far removed from the School of Angus) 'Stand And Fight' musically bites as much as it defiantly snarls through its lyric.
'Lion' then eschews guitar bite and solid 4/4 beat for cheeky swagger and a groovin’ rhythm (courtesy of drummer Paul Gray and bassist Alex Carmichael) while the near seven-minute 'Ain’t Done Nothing Wrong' is the moodier, bluesier and slower tempo’d side of the band (and an album highlight).
'More Than Anything' picks up the pace and adds some AC/DC styled rock and roll punch before 'Pain And Suffering' drops the tempo but not the intensity, its heavy blues undercurrent perfectly complementing the lyrical theme (kudos again here for the guitar solo that gives the song exactly what it needs).
'Turpentine' and 'Blood Sweat And Tears' both sit around the six-minute mark but neither outstay their welcome.
The former is another with bags of early AC/DC attitude while also vocally highlighting why Gary Moat has been described as a Bon Scott / Marc Storace hybrid.
The latter, which opens with seagull cries and short, softer opening, then raises the volume (and defiance meter) to make itself, and the oppressed subjects of the song’s lyric, heard ("they tried to change us, they tried to pull us down; they tried to break us, they never will… this town was made from blood sweat and tears"). Another highlight.
'Wake Up' is catchy, mid-paced BOW guitar rock ‘n’ roll but penultimate song 'Take it Or Leave it' makes up for lost (double) time by delivering not just a lyrical ultimatum but fast-paced, punky-metal punch.
Complete contrast is provided by closing number 'I’m a Loser Too,' a somewhat unexpected slow country blues boogie that perfectly complements the self-pitying lyric (think Status Quo after too many hours spent at the Burnt Out Wreck Whisky (natch) bar).
It’s a surprising end to an unsurprisingly good album.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Stand And Fight on all digital platforms: https://ampl.ink/m3qKD
CD version on BurntOut Wreckords via Cadiz Music, at Cadiz merch store and Amazon UK
Catfish – Bound For Better Days EP
Blues quartet Catfish are one of many bands who weren't twiddling thumbs during Covid lockdowns.
In 2020 their full-show lockdown performance became the CD&DVD release Exile: Live in Lockdown.
Now their well-received acoustic live stream performances have led to 5-track EP Bound For Better Days, the title of which reflects the hopes for a more optimistic future and the recent health issues of keyboardist Paul Long, father of singer/ guitarist Matt Long.
(Paul Long is currently undergoing cancer treatments before the band, on a twelve week break, hit the road again in August followed by a full autumn and winter touring itinerary).
The southern-folk and ‘old record’ style opening of the studio version of 'Broken Man' from the album of that name is, here, given a slightly more straight (while still decidedly bluesy) acoustic & vocal take, which fits the mood and purpose of this stripped back version perfectly (the instrumental section is more about pathos than power).
Matt Long’s husky and impassioned vocal still carries the resonance and depth of the original however, while the more percussive rhythm arrangement and piano accompaniment give the song a whole new weight, and feel (while still being very much based on the original).
That it doesn’t outstay its welcome at nearly nine-and-a-half minutes (longer than the original) is also a testament to the song, the delivery and the arrangement.
Softer piano-blues contrast is then provided by 'When B.B. Sings The Blues,' the title track from the band’s 2018 covers & original song EP/ homage to the great man; with a lead vocal from Paul Long, this re-recorded version stays very close to the original (well if it ain’t B.B broke, etc.).
'Better Days,' from Broken Man, is an upbeat and soul-funky (and soul-fun) blues affair (with a touch of reggae) that acts as a throaty Matt Long vocal cry to the band’s optimistic approach in the face of adversity.
'The Big Picture,' from 2019 studio album Burning Bridges and featuring Paul Long on lead vocal, eschews its original fuzzed riff and Hammond backed blues for a more reserved acoustic-piano-bass-drums-percussion arrangement, allowing the chorus to make more of a lyrical impact ("take a step back, gotta look at the big picture – and get right back on track while I’ve got time").
Mention here too for the cool, semi-funky bass work from Adam Pyke.
The oft-covered 'Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word,' from the one time unbeatable partnership of Elton John & Bernie Taupin, closes out the EP.
It’s a heartfelt ballad that’s also been oft-murdered (take a faux-sincerity and over-acted vocal bow, Blue) but here it’s given the reverence (and fairly under-stated approach) it deserves.
Clearly a favourite of both Paul and Matt Long, this is a genuinely sincere piano & acoustic guitar take of a bona-fide classic (it’s also Matt Long’s best vocal performance to date).
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
In 2020 their full-show lockdown performance became the CD&DVD release Exile: Live in Lockdown.
Now their well-received acoustic live stream performances have led to 5-track EP Bound For Better Days, the title of which reflects the hopes for a more optimistic future and the recent health issues of keyboardist Paul Long, father of singer/ guitarist Matt Long.
(Paul Long is currently undergoing cancer treatments before the band, on a twelve week break, hit the road again in August followed by a full autumn and winter touring itinerary).
The southern-folk and ‘old record’ style opening of the studio version of 'Broken Man' from the album of that name is, here, given a slightly more straight (while still decidedly bluesy) acoustic & vocal take, which fits the mood and purpose of this stripped back version perfectly (the instrumental section is more about pathos than power).
Matt Long’s husky and impassioned vocal still carries the resonance and depth of the original however, while the more percussive rhythm arrangement and piano accompaniment give the song a whole new weight, and feel (while still being very much based on the original).
That it doesn’t outstay its welcome at nearly nine-and-a-half minutes (longer than the original) is also a testament to the song, the delivery and the arrangement.
Softer piano-blues contrast is then provided by 'When B.B. Sings The Blues,' the title track from the band’s 2018 covers & original song EP/ homage to the great man; with a lead vocal from Paul Long, this re-recorded version stays very close to the original (well if it ain’t B.B broke, etc.).
'Better Days,' from Broken Man, is an upbeat and soul-funky (and soul-fun) blues affair (with a touch of reggae) that acts as a throaty Matt Long vocal cry to the band’s optimistic approach in the face of adversity.
'The Big Picture,' from 2019 studio album Burning Bridges and featuring Paul Long on lead vocal, eschews its original fuzzed riff and Hammond backed blues for a more reserved acoustic-piano-bass-drums-percussion arrangement, allowing the chorus to make more of a lyrical impact ("take a step back, gotta look at the big picture – and get right back on track while I’ve got time").
Mention here too for the cool, semi-funky bass work from Adam Pyke.
The oft-covered 'Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word,' from the one time unbeatable partnership of Elton John & Bernie Taupin, closes out the EP.
It’s a heartfelt ballad that’s also been oft-murdered (take a faux-sincerity and over-acted vocal bow, Blue) but here it’s given the reverence (and fairly under-stated approach) it deserves.
Clearly a favourite of both Paul and Matt Long, this is a genuinely sincere piano & acoustic guitar take of a bona-fide classic (it’s also Matt Long’s best vocal performance to date).
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Cinelli Brothers and the British Blues Summit - No County For Bluesmen
Anyone familiar with the Cinelli Brothers, a highly authentic blues band built around the sibling talents of Marco (guitars, vocals, organ, piano) and Alessandro (drums, backing vocals) Cinelli, will know that authenticity is based on a passion for, and the sound of, traditional 50s & 60s Chicago and Texas blues.
Said authenticity was heard to fine debut album effect on 2018’s Babe Please Set Your Alarm and last year’s Villa Jukejoint.
The latter, the very definition of a home recording, featured a set of songs and production sound that would have many a blues muso believing they had stumbled upon a previously unheard/ unreleased nugget from the CHESS records archives.
With No Country For Bluesmen the Cinelli boys have taken that authenticity and turned it into an all-new material in old-school clothing celebration in the company of a host of like-minded guest players, singers and contributing song-writers (hence the British Blue Summit moniker).
More importantly, from foot stomping rhythm and boogie opener 'Make You Mine,' co-written with and featuring young blues talent Connor Selby (a singer & guitarist who is older in 60s Stax, 70s blues-rock and ability terms than his mid-twenties age suggests) to 12 bar harmonica blowin’ album closer 'Blues Worldwide' (penned by and featuring Giles Robson on lead vocals), the Cinelli Brothers and their British Blues Summit friends are on to a bit of a winner.
Between those aforementioned Blues Summit bookends you’ll find other gems such as the dancing Jive blues & horns of 'High Time We Run' (featuring Artie Zaitz on organ and lead vocal from Cinelli Bros band member Tom Julian Jones), a smooth, seven-minute jazz-blues instrumental entitled 'Dillon' (featuring trumpeter Mark Kavuma) and the baritone sax and organ swirls (courtesy of Stevie Watts) of sultry slow blues 'Deep Down Devil,' featuring a fabulous lead vocal from Alice Armstrong.
That sultriness continues later in the rhythmic, soul-blues sway of 'Careful What You Wish For,' featuring singer Dana Gillespie.
Another highlight is the soul swinging and brass blowin’ sing-a-long optimism of 'Together is Better.'
Underpinned by a funky little shuffle, the song features members of the Redfish Blues Band, with a great lead vocal (and guitar solo) contributed by Redfish front man Christian Sharpe.
Similarly up-tempo, funky and optimistic is 'So Far So Good' featuring Big Joe Louis on lead vocal (and a suitably funky-blues solo from Marco Cinelli).
'Dish it Out,' featuring Tommy Hare on lead vocal, has more than a touch of 'Born Under a Bad Sign' about it (lyrically it could well be the time to fight back sequel), while husky-voiced national blues treasure Ian Siegal gets all folk-swampy on 'No Place For Me.'
The rhythm and foot-tapping blues of 'Leave it All Behind,' featuring Zac Schulze on vocals and lead guitar, is another fun little winner, as is the N’awlins styled jazz blues of 'Much Too Much.'
The latter features members of The Shufflepack, including Stuart "Son" Maxwell on vocals and harmonica.
Join the Cinelli Brothers and their friends as they plant the red, white and blues flag at the British Blues Summit.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Said authenticity was heard to fine debut album effect on 2018’s Babe Please Set Your Alarm and last year’s Villa Jukejoint.
The latter, the very definition of a home recording, featured a set of songs and production sound that would have many a blues muso believing they had stumbled upon a previously unheard/ unreleased nugget from the CHESS records archives.
With No Country For Bluesmen the Cinelli boys have taken that authenticity and turned it into an all-new material in old-school clothing celebration in the company of a host of like-minded guest players, singers and contributing song-writers (hence the British Blue Summit moniker).
More importantly, from foot stomping rhythm and boogie opener 'Make You Mine,' co-written with and featuring young blues talent Connor Selby (a singer & guitarist who is older in 60s Stax, 70s blues-rock and ability terms than his mid-twenties age suggests) to 12 bar harmonica blowin’ album closer 'Blues Worldwide' (penned by and featuring Giles Robson on lead vocals), the Cinelli Brothers and their British Blues Summit friends are on to a bit of a winner.
Between those aforementioned Blues Summit bookends you’ll find other gems such as the dancing Jive blues & horns of 'High Time We Run' (featuring Artie Zaitz on organ and lead vocal from Cinelli Bros band member Tom Julian Jones), a smooth, seven-minute jazz-blues instrumental entitled 'Dillon' (featuring trumpeter Mark Kavuma) and the baritone sax and organ swirls (courtesy of Stevie Watts) of sultry slow blues 'Deep Down Devil,' featuring a fabulous lead vocal from Alice Armstrong.
That sultriness continues later in the rhythmic, soul-blues sway of 'Careful What You Wish For,' featuring singer Dana Gillespie.
Another highlight is the soul swinging and brass blowin’ sing-a-long optimism of 'Together is Better.'
Underpinned by a funky little shuffle, the song features members of the Redfish Blues Band, with a great lead vocal (and guitar solo) contributed by Redfish front man Christian Sharpe.
Similarly up-tempo, funky and optimistic is 'So Far So Good' featuring Big Joe Louis on lead vocal (and a suitably funky-blues solo from Marco Cinelli).
'Dish it Out,' featuring Tommy Hare on lead vocal, has more than a touch of 'Born Under a Bad Sign' about it (lyrically it could well be the time to fight back sequel), while husky-voiced national blues treasure Ian Siegal gets all folk-swampy on 'No Place For Me.'
The rhythm and foot-tapping blues of 'Leave it All Behind,' featuring Zac Schulze on vocals and lead guitar, is another fun little winner, as is the N’awlins styled jazz blues of 'Much Too Much.'
The latter features members of The Shufflepack, including Stuart "Son" Maxwell on vocals and harmonica.
Join the Cinelli Brothers and their friends as they plant the red, white and blues flag at the British Blues Summit.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
John Clay – Rusty Guitar
Rusty Guitar, by musician and label owner John Clay, is a bit of a two for one, based on the aforementioned credentials of Mr Clay.
Firstly, the album has been released on John Clay’s Stunted Records, an independent label that champions those whose aim is to create interesting music and true musical artistry (in whatever genre) in a world increasingly dominated by manufactured muzak and Spotify playlists, with nary a thought for wider mainstream success (although no doubt welcomed if it ever came a knocking).
Secondly, the album is the perfect example of that Stunted Records Modus Operandi.
That’s all the more impressive when you consider the Rusty Guitar seeds were sown during Covid lockdowns and John Clay finding time to “finally draw together numerous small ideas that have been kicking around (spanning a huge time period from the mid-80s until the present) and shape them into fully fledged piece”
The results are a surprisingly cohesive, Indie styled work with an overriding theme of life, love and loss (the sub-title of the album).
The Indie 80s pop-rock meets Bowie vibe (more on the Bowie influence later) of 'Mere Mortals' both opens the album and sets the themed tone of John Clay’s ten-track debut (that there’s a hint of Alex Lifeson/ 80s Rush in some of Clay’s guitar sound is also no bad thing).
The contrasting, quirky instrumental 'JCabMoan,' with 'horn' blasts, a continuous flurry of breezy harmony guitar play and pseudo-funky rhythm work from bassist Tony Ilkiw and drummer Sam Pulls (who feature throughout) offers itself as the can’t-help-but-smile moment of the album before the most interesting (and Sane-ly familiar) piece on Rusty Guitar takes centre stage,
'We Are the Gods,' featuring vocalist Andy Wood, is a seven–and-half minute slice of avant-garde rock straight out of the Bowie 70s songbook.
However its impact is made not from the fact that Wood has a similar vocal tone and phrasing to Bowie of that era, it’s that the great American pianist Mike Garson is heavily featured, including an extended reprise (or reinterpretation), of his classic and famous piano lines from 'Aladdin Sane' (complete with 'Sane sign-off' nod).
The Indie guitar-rock vibe returns for 'Decades,' which again features Andy Wood (sounding even more Bowie-esque; to the point where the listener might well be doing a double take).
The downtempo and floating atmospheres of 'The Dualist' then offers nice counter-point, instrumentally reflecting on the two sides we are all said to have.
The mid-tempo Indie-pop of 'Killing Time' is the lyrical follow-on to the previous number ("I am the dualist, it’s time for change…") but doesn’t quite hit the mark musically.
The instrumental 'Were You Ever Here' makes more of an impression however, through its rhythmic groove (and great Tony Levin-esque bass line from Tony Ilkiw), eerier passages and bursts of rock guitar.
'Taming Lions' produces the rock ‘n’ roll (and slightly Hoople) moment of the album (although Andy Wood on his third appearance (here backed by Monique Mitchell-Wood) sounds vocally strained in the keys called upon) before funky-pop-rock instrumental 'Spud Gun' (with cool and bubbly bass line) returns many of us to childhood memories of firing off potato pellets at your mates.
A vocal, piano and sparser guitar reprise of 'We Are the Gods' (which works extremely well) closes out Rusty Guitar, an interesting Indie meets art-rock inspired work that serves both John Clay the musician, and John Clay the label owner, very well indeed.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
https://stuntedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/john-clay-rusty-guitar
Firstly, the album has been released on John Clay’s Stunted Records, an independent label that champions those whose aim is to create interesting music and true musical artistry (in whatever genre) in a world increasingly dominated by manufactured muzak and Spotify playlists, with nary a thought for wider mainstream success (although no doubt welcomed if it ever came a knocking).
Secondly, the album is the perfect example of that Stunted Records Modus Operandi.
That’s all the more impressive when you consider the Rusty Guitar seeds were sown during Covid lockdowns and John Clay finding time to “finally draw together numerous small ideas that have been kicking around (spanning a huge time period from the mid-80s until the present) and shape them into fully fledged piece”
The results are a surprisingly cohesive, Indie styled work with an overriding theme of life, love and loss (the sub-title of the album).
The Indie 80s pop-rock meets Bowie vibe (more on the Bowie influence later) of 'Mere Mortals' both opens the album and sets the themed tone of John Clay’s ten-track debut (that there’s a hint of Alex Lifeson/ 80s Rush in some of Clay’s guitar sound is also no bad thing).
The contrasting, quirky instrumental 'JCabMoan,' with 'horn' blasts, a continuous flurry of breezy harmony guitar play and pseudo-funky rhythm work from bassist Tony Ilkiw and drummer Sam Pulls (who feature throughout) offers itself as the can’t-help-but-smile moment of the album before the most interesting (and Sane-ly familiar) piece on Rusty Guitar takes centre stage,
'We Are the Gods,' featuring vocalist Andy Wood, is a seven–and-half minute slice of avant-garde rock straight out of the Bowie 70s songbook.
However its impact is made not from the fact that Wood has a similar vocal tone and phrasing to Bowie of that era, it’s that the great American pianist Mike Garson is heavily featured, including an extended reprise (or reinterpretation), of his classic and famous piano lines from 'Aladdin Sane' (complete with 'Sane sign-off' nod).
The Indie guitar-rock vibe returns for 'Decades,' which again features Andy Wood (sounding even more Bowie-esque; to the point where the listener might well be doing a double take).
The downtempo and floating atmospheres of 'The Dualist' then offers nice counter-point, instrumentally reflecting on the two sides we are all said to have.
The mid-tempo Indie-pop of 'Killing Time' is the lyrical follow-on to the previous number ("I am the dualist, it’s time for change…") but doesn’t quite hit the mark musically.
The instrumental 'Were You Ever Here' makes more of an impression however, through its rhythmic groove (and great Tony Levin-esque bass line from Tony Ilkiw), eerier passages and bursts of rock guitar.
'Taming Lions' produces the rock ‘n’ roll (and slightly Hoople) moment of the album (although Andy Wood on his third appearance (here backed by Monique Mitchell-Wood) sounds vocally strained in the keys called upon) before funky-pop-rock instrumental 'Spud Gun' (with cool and bubbly bass line) returns many of us to childhood memories of firing off potato pellets at your mates.
A vocal, piano and sparser guitar reprise of 'We Are the Gods' (which works extremely well) closes out Rusty Guitar, an interesting Indie meets art-rock inspired work that serves both John Clay the musician, and John Clay the label owner, very well indeed.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
https://stuntedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/john-clay-rusty-guitar
David Cowan - Code Red EP
Keyboardist and composer David Cowan is well kent (to use the Scottish vernacular) north of the border and parts of England, thanks to his stint in the sadly short-lived Zal Cleminson’s /Sin Dogs/, playing at various times for a number of Scottish bands (he’s currently a member of the Greig Taylor Blues Band) and, most significantly, as part of The Sensational Alex Harvey Experience (one of the best tribute acts in the country and by far the best purveyors of SAHB songs).
But that’s only the half of it.
David Cowan is a multi-styled musician (rock, metal, blues, soul-funk, instrumental fusion and 'suspense' soundtrack all play their part) who is also quite nifty behind a drum kit.
He dovetails the above duties with solo work (his debut solo album, the John Carpenter inspired Out Of The Dark Part I, was released in 2020), founding soul infused funk-rock band The Meissner Effect (check out the singles 'Water’s Edge' and 'Sober') and finding time for this new 4-track EP Code Red, which showcases his talent, and love, for instrumental jazz-rock fusion.
'Peacekeeper,' featuring the extremely talented Andy McLaughlan on guitar (McLaughlan, part of The Meissner Effect, looms large on three of the four tracks) opens the EP with a seven-minute flourish of fusion that’s as bubby in its musical effervescence as it is bouncy in tempo.
Andy McLaughlan lays down some serious Satriani meets Lukather licks while David Cowan’s synth solo recalls Roger Powell back in the Utopian day (Cowan also lays out a short and punchy drum solo toward the number’s conclusion).
'Danger Plan' is an up-tempo affair that, again, sees Andy McLaughlan cleverly combining a splash of Satch (on the recurring melody-riff) before giving it the full Luke and a lovely, expressive solo atop solid drum work and piano backing. David Cowan then gets to shine on another glossy synth solo at song-end.
The edgy anger of 'Nowhere To Run' is, simply, Toto in full instrumental prog-fusion flight (there are definite compositional comparisons to 'Dave’s Gone Skiing').
David Cowan’s drums lead the high-energy charge with keyboards adding texture to Andy McLaughlan’s biting guitar play. There’s also clever little sections where guitar and drums are in note-for-beat unison and a nice change-up that allows Cowan to get all Latino on the piano solo.
The closing title track, with synth-alarm warning intro, soon settles itself in to a near seven minutes of pacey, spacey and cool vibe’d jazz-tinged fusion.
The number features some exceptionally fluid and fast-fingered six-string work from another great guitarist, Lyle Watt, while David Cowan adds supportive colour through some great keyboard and piano play.
That Cowan has a great sense of melody (and an aptitude for expressive (but never excessive) musical texture) is not in doubt; that David Paich is clearly a huge influence (as heard on the excellent 'Code Red' piano solo) is also not in doubt.
David Cowan has described the Code Red EP as a pre-release/ precursor to his next solo album (Out Of The Dark Part II is on the way) but this is far more than a stopgap.
This is an extremely good, and very well performed, quartet of tunes that also sound great (courtesy of an excellent production & mix from Paul Rose); as importantly, it should satisfy both the jazz-proggy types and those who enjoy seriously good rock guitar and keyboard led musicianship.
This Code Red definitely gets the Green Light.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But that’s only the half of it.
David Cowan is a multi-styled musician (rock, metal, blues, soul-funk, instrumental fusion and 'suspense' soundtrack all play their part) who is also quite nifty behind a drum kit.
He dovetails the above duties with solo work (his debut solo album, the John Carpenter inspired Out Of The Dark Part I, was released in 2020), founding soul infused funk-rock band The Meissner Effect (check out the singles 'Water’s Edge' and 'Sober') and finding time for this new 4-track EP Code Red, which showcases his talent, and love, for instrumental jazz-rock fusion.
'Peacekeeper,' featuring the extremely talented Andy McLaughlan on guitar (McLaughlan, part of The Meissner Effect, looms large on three of the four tracks) opens the EP with a seven-minute flourish of fusion that’s as bubby in its musical effervescence as it is bouncy in tempo.
Andy McLaughlan lays down some serious Satriani meets Lukather licks while David Cowan’s synth solo recalls Roger Powell back in the Utopian day (Cowan also lays out a short and punchy drum solo toward the number’s conclusion).
'Danger Plan' is an up-tempo affair that, again, sees Andy McLaughlan cleverly combining a splash of Satch (on the recurring melody-riff) before giving it the full Luke and a lovely, expressive solo atop solid drum work and piano backing. David Cowan then gets to shine on another glossy synth solo at song-end.
The edgy anger of 'Nowhere To Run' is, simply, Toto in full instrumental prog-fusion flight (there are definite compositional comparisons to 'Dave’s Gone Skiing').
David Cowan’s drums lead the high-energy charge with keyboards adding texture to Andy McLaughlan’s biting guitar play. There’s also clever little sections where guitar and drums are in note-for-beat unison and a nice change-up that allows Cowan to get all Latino on the piano solo.
The closing title track, with synth-alarm warning intro, soon settles itself in to a near seven minutes of pacey, spacey and cool vibe’d jazz-tinged fusion.
The number features some exceptionally fluid and fast-fingered six-string work from another great guitarist, Lyle Watt, while David Cowan adds supportive colour through some great keyboard and piano play.
That Cowan has a great sense of melody (and an aptitude for expressive (but never excessive) musical texture) is not in doubt; that David Paich is clearly a huge influence (as heard on the excellent 'Code Red' piano solo) is also not in doubt.
David Cowan has described the Code Red EP as a pre-release/ precursor to his next solo album (Out Of The Dark Part II is on the way) but this is far more than a stopgap.
This is an extremely good, and very well performed, quartet of tunes that also sound great (courtesy of an excellent production & mix from Paul Rose); as importantly, it should satisfy both the jazz-proggy types and those who enjoy seriously good rock guitar and keyboard led musicianship.
This Code Red definitely gets the Green Light.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Steve Dawson – Gone, Long Gone
Nashville based, Juno Award-winning musician, singer-songwriter, producer, sideman, label owner and podcast host Steve Dawson (in short, an all round roots-based talent) is making up for lost solo recording time in 2022.
First of all the noted, Nashville based musician’s new solo album Gone, Long Gone is his first collection of song’s since Solid States and Loose Ends six years ago (Dawson, who has also dipped in to Hawaiian music, jazz and blues, also released the delightful and at times delicate acoustic instrumental album Lucky Hand in 2018).
Secondly, it’s the first of three new albums, each with its own identity, that will see the light of musical day over this next year, such is the large volume of songs he wrote over the pandemic and lockdown periods.
Featuring nine originals (mostly co-written with Alberta songwriter Matt Patershuk; the first time Steve Dawson has collaborated with another artist - as it turns out an excellent partnership) and one cover (a lovely, rootsy-blues take of The Faces 'Ooh La La'), Gone, Long Gone is one Dawson’s best releases to date and certainly his most all-encompassing.
Nor does it hurt that Dawson can call upon some of the best roots based talent around, here in the studio band shape of bassist Jeremy Holmes, drummers Gary Craig & Jay Bellerose (both of whom play on the eerie car-crash blues of '6 Skeletons in a Car'), Kevin McKendree & Chris Gestrin (piano, keys) and a number of contributing guest musicians.
Opening with the slow roots ‘n‘ roll of the horn-backed 'Dimes,' featuring Canadian singer Allison Russell on harmony and backing vocals (as do a handful of other tracks) Gone, Long Gone makes its entrance in fine and fairly funky style.
'Dimes' is followed by the contrasting yet perfectly dovetailing (and wonderfully titled) 'King Benny Had His Shit Together') a slide and piano based roots blues nod to larger-than-life Hawaiian street musician King Bennie Nawahi. The song also benefits from the presence John Prine alumnus Fats Kaplin on fiddle.
'Bad Omen,' much as its title suggests, has a little bad luck voodoo about it ("there’s a bad omen scratchin’ at the door, and I just let it in") augmented by some swirling ‘n’ bubbly organ touches.
The acoustic guitar, strings and pedal steel backed title track is a dreamy, turnpike watching Nashville styled highlight of the album, as is another Nashville hewed number, the up-tempo and foot-tapping 'I Just Get Lost.'
The Hawaiian styled instrumental 'Kulaniapia Waltz' offers further delightful contrast while another instrumental, the solo acoustic 'Cicada Sanctuary,' highlights Steve Dawson’s deftness of finger-picking touch.
Lyrically reflective closing number 'Time Has Made a Fool Out Of Me,' where Steve Dawson’s vocal and echoey guitar lines are complemented only by band textures on the final bars and Allison Russell’s backing and outro vocal, is another highlight.
It’s a lovely, if bittersweet, ending to a finely crafted collection of songs.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
First of all the noted, Nashville based musician’s new solo album Gone, Long Gone is his first collection of song’s since Solid States and Loose Ends six years ago (Dawson, who has also dipped in to Hawaiian music, jazz and blues, also released the delightful and at times delicate acoustic instrumental album Lucky Hand in 2018).
Secondly, it’s the first of three new albums, each with its own identity, that will see the light of musical day over this next year, such is the large volume of songs he wrote over the pandemic and lockdown periods.
Featuring nine originals (mostly co-written with Alberta songwriter Matt Patershuk; the first time Steve Dawson has collaborated with another artist - as it turns out an excellent partnership) and one cover (a lovely, rootsy-blues take of The Faces 'Ooh La La'), Gone, Long Gone is one Dawson’s best releases to date and certainly his most all-encompassing.
Nor does it hurt that Dawson can call upon some of the best roots based talent around, here in the studio band shape of bassist Jeremy Holmes, drummers Gary Craig & Jay Bellerose (both of whom play on the eerie car-crash blues of '6 Skeletons in a Car'), Kevin McKendree & Chris Gestrin (piano, keys) and a number of contributing guest musicians.
Opening with the slow roots ‘n‘ roll of the horn-backed 'Dimes,' featuring Canadian singer Allison Russell on harmony and backing vocals (as do a handful of other tracks) Gone, Long Gone makes its entrance in fine and fairly funky style.
'Dimes' is followed by the contrasting yet perfectly dovetailing (and wonderfully titled) 'King Benny Had His Shit Together') a slide and piano based roots blues nod to larger-than-life Hawaiian street musician King Bennie Nawahi. The song also benefits from the presence John Prine alumnus Fats Kaplin on fiddle.
'Bad Omen,' much as its title suggests, has a little bad luck voodoo about it ("there’s a bad omen scratchin’ at the door, and I just let it in") augmented by some swirling ‘n’ bubbly organ touches.
The acoustic guitar, strings and pedal steel backed title track is a dreamy, turnpike watching Nashville styled highlight of the album, as is another Nashville hewed number, the up-tempo and foot-tapping 'I Just Get Lost.'
The Hawaiian styled instrumental 'Kulaniapia Waltz' offers further delightful contrast while another instrumental, the solo acoustic 'Cicada Sanctuary,' highlights Steve Dawson’s deftness of finger-picking touch.
Lyrically reflective closing number 'Time Has Made a Fool Out Of Me,' where Steve Dawson’s vocal and echoey guitar lines are complemented only by band textures on the final bars and Allison Russell’s backing and outro vocal, is another highlight.
It’s a lovely, if bittersweet, ending to a finely crafted collection of songs.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Steve Dawson & The Telescope 3 – Phantom Threshold
As mentioned in review of Steve Dawson’s previous album Gone, Long Gone, released earlier in the year, the Nashville based singer-songwriter & producer (among many other skills) is making up for lost solo recording time.
Not only was Gone, Long Gone the acclaimed Canadian musician’s first studio album since 2016 (there was also the live off the floor acoustic album Lucky Hand in 2018), it was also the first of three Steve Dawson albums that will grace the roots-based musical world of 2022 (such was the plethora of songs written and created by Dawson during the Covid pandemic and related lockdowns).
But this is no trilogy – each album has very much its own identity and musical raison d'etre.
Where Gone, Long Gone was a roots based folk & blues album that tapped into other Steve Dawson loves and influences, including Hawaiian music, second 2022 offering Phantom Threshold is a wholly instrumental album that features Dawson’s delightful, lazy (in a good, laid back way) and deeply immersive pedal steel as the featured/ lead instrument.
Indeed Phantom Threshold is more of a sequel – or broader scoped extension – to Telescope, Steve Dawson’s pedal steel-based instrumental album of 2008.
Proof of that Telescopic connection comes from the core band on Phantom Threshold being credited as Steve Dawson & The Telescope 3 (Dawson - pedal steel/ various guitars; Jeremy Holmes - bass; Chris Gestrin - various keyboards; Jay Bellerose - drums/ percussion).
And, like Gone, Long Gone, it’s a more expansive and textured album than one may expect.
There are a multitude of different keyboard instruments that add colour, including Wurlitzer, moog, mellotron and marxophone (a kind of fretless zither played with hammers) along with some dreamy/ trippy passages and little splashes of psychedelia – for the latter look no further than opener 'Cozy Corner,' best described as country (& western) meets Pink Floyd (Daniel Lapp also adds some violin on the number).
Solo pedal steel vignette piece 'Burnt End,' slow country blues 'Lily’s Resistor' and woozy & waltzy 'Twig Bucket' (where electric guitar acts as the dovetailing partner to the pedal steel) are three of the more traditional roots-country moments, but truth be told each of the eleven tracks has its own character, and charm.
Take for example the roots-funky 'Ol’ Brushy,' with its jazz shimmer, or the folksy and bluesy title track, which features Fats Kaplin on banjo and fiddle.
Kaplin, on accordion, also features on 'The Waters Rise,' a Steve Dawson co-write with Kaplin that sounds like it was written a century ago when the featured National Tricone guitar was invented.
And then there’s the pump organ, peal steel and Hammond led arrangement of The Beach Boys 'You Still Believe In Me,' which is as instrumentally lyrical as the Brian Wilson voiced original.
'Whirlwind,' the second solo track and closing number on the album, features Steve Dawson flexing his fingers on a Weissenborn guitar with paper taped across the strings; the results are a subtly muted, but very warm sound.
(While the album was recorded remotely, there’s a discernible analogue warmth throughout – vintage tube amps also played their part in the recording process).
It’s not every album where you can create soundscapes that conjure musical images of the likes of Ry Cooder in soundtrack mode (think Paris, Texas) and Pink Floyd (and seamlessly blend them together), or make The Beach Boys work in an instrumental roots setting.
But then Steve Dawson is a musician and songwriter who has long since crossed the threshold (phantom or otherwise), of what roots music can be.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Not only was Gone, Long Gone the acclaimed Canadian musician’s first studio album since 2016 (there was also the live off the floor acoustic album Lucky Hand in 2018), it was also the first of three Steve Dawson albums that will grace the roots-based musical world of 2022 (such was the plethora of songs written and created by Dawson during the Covid pandemic and related lockdowns).
But this is no trilogy – each album has very much its own identity and musical raison d'etre.
Where Gone, Long Gone was a roots based folk & blues album that tapped into other Steve Dawson loves and influences, including Hawaiian music, second 2022 offering Phantom Threshold is a wholly instrumental album that features Dawson’s delightful, lazy (in a good, laid back way) and deeply immersive pedal steel as the featured/ lead instrument.
Indeed Phantom Threshold is more of a sequel – or broader scoped extension – to Telescope, Steve Dawson’s pedal steel-based instrumental album of 2008.
Proof of that Telescopic connection comes from the core band on Phantom Threshold being credited as Steve Dawson & The Telescope 3 (Dawson - pedal steel/ various guitars; Jeremy Holmes - bass; Chris Gestrin - various keyboards; Jay Bellerose - drums/ percussion).
And, like Gone, Long Gone, it’s a more expansive and textured album than one may expect.
There are a multitude of different keyboard instruments that add colour, including Wurlitzer, moog, mellotron and marxophone (a kind of fretless zither played with hammers) along with some dreamy/ trippy passages and little splashes of psychedelia – for the latter look no further than opener 'Cozy Corner,' best described as country (& western) meets Pink Floyd (Daniel Lapp also adds some violin on the number).
Solo pedal steel vignette piece 'Burnt End,' slow country blues 'Lily’s Resistor' and woozy & waltzy 'Twig Bucket' (where electric guitar acts as the dovetailing partner to the pedal steel) are three of the more traditional roots-country moments, but truth be told each of the eleven tracks has its own character, and charm.
Take for example the roots-funky 'Ol’ Brushy,' with its jazz shimmer, or the folksy and bluesy title track, which features Fats Kaplin on banjo and fiddle.
Kaplin, on accordion, also features on 'The Waters Rise,' a Steve Dawson co-write with Kaplin that sounds like it was written a century ago when the featured National Tricone guitar was invented.
And then there’s the pump organ, peal steel and Hammond led arrangement of The Beach Boys 'You Still Believe In Me,' which is as instrumentally lyrical as the Brian Wilson voiced original.
'Whirlwind,' the second solo track and closing number on the album, features Steve Dawson flexing his fingers on a Weissenborn guitar with paper taped across the strings; the results are a subtly muted, but very warm sound.
(While the album was recorded remotely, there’s a discernible analogue warmth throughout – vintage tube amps also played their part in the recording process).
It’s not every album where you can create soundscapes that conjure musical images of the likes of Ry Cooder in soundtrack mode (think Paris, Texas) and Pink Floyd (and seamlessly blend them together), or make The Beach Boys work in an instrumental roots setting.
But then Steve Dawson is a musician and songwriter who has long since crossed the threshold (phantom or otherwise), of what roots music can be.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Tommy DeCarlo – Dancing in the Moonlight
Those familiar with singer Tommy DeCarlo, more than likely via his association with Boston these last 15 years, will probably not be surprised to hear his debut solo album Dancing in the Moonlight has more than a little Boston about it.
Actually, for close to two-thirds of the album it’s pretty much a Boston album in everything but name and Tom Scholz-less personnel.
And that, melodic rock ladies and AOR gents, is down to a carefully conceived & considered plan by Frontiers Records head honcho Serafino Perugino, the label’s in-house musician, songwriter and performer Alessandro Del Vecchio and Tommy DeCarlo.
The singer, who released Lightning Strikes Twice by DECARLO (the band he co-founded with his son Tommy DeCarlo Jr.) on Frontiers Records in 2020, clearly jumped at the chance to now do an album that’s part Boston homage part AOR solo-album.
Additionally, given his Boston credentials and the fact his favourite singer is the late and great Brad Delp (he has a timbre not that far removed from Delp, with similar phrasing nuances but sans the upper atmosphere top notes) Tommy DeCarlo is the perfect front man for such a solo project.
Dancing in the Moonlight also features Alessandro Del Vecchio on bass, keys and backing vocals, as well as production, mix & mastering.
In terms of that production, Del Vecchio has absolutely caught the Boston sound, while featured guitarists David Julian (eight tracks) and Martin Jepsen Andersen (four tracks) have done their six-string homework as regards capturing the essence of the Scholz sonics.
The album highlights those Boston-ised hooks and harmonies right from the get-go on the infectious and feel-good title track, which would have sat comfortably on Don’t Look Back or Third Stage.
'Dancing in the Moonlight' also features a nimble-fingered Scholz-nod from guest guitarist August Zadra (Dennis DeYoung live band), who delivered his own debut solo album, Guiding Star, for Frontiers Records earlier this year.
Following number 'Change Our Fate' is a tempo-changing winner (and a great vehicle for Tommy DeCarlo’s (melodic) rock tenor vocal) while 'Beyond Forever' is an impressive power-ballad featuring a soaring chorus vocal that’s a slower, distant cousin to that utilised on the Boston classic 'A Man I’ll Never Be' (other than which the songs are quite dissimilar).
'Life is Just a Game,' the album’s up-tempo & uplifting mid-tempo rocker, completes a solid quartet of Boston inspired songs; following numbers 'No Surrender' and 'The Game is On' remind of Boston because of Tommy DeCarlo’s vocality, but in reality both are well-written variations on formulaic melodic rock themes (rock ballad and AOR-rock, respectively).
Similarly, second power ballad 'This Road Will Lead To You' and the balladeering schmaltz of 'In the Hands of Fate' are too lyrically and musically derivative to make any impact beyond the 80s AOR lovers but melodic rocker 'Find the Love' returns things to an even, Boston modified keel.
Further highlights come by way of the hooky, harmony chorus rock of 'Home to You' and the acoustic embellished ballad 'Spread Your Wings,' featuring Tommy DeCarlo’s best vocal of the album (accompanied by a melodically complementary guitar solo from David Julian).
Album closer 'You And Me,' sporting a short but nicely fitting organ solo, is the perfect feel-good bookend to 'Dancing in the Moonlight;' it’s also exactly the sort of melodic rock number you could imagine closing out a Boston album had things been destined to follow a different, Scholz-Delp driven path after Third Stage and beyond.
Indeed, with Boston having lost some of their sonic identity to Corporate America in 2002 and then, sadly, their original voice in 2007 (followed six years later by the lacklustre Life, Love & Hope, which featured Tommy DeCarlo on four songs and the posthumous voice of Brad Delp on another four), there’s an argument to be had that Dancing in the Moonlight isn’t just Tommy DeCarlo’s debut solo album – it’s also the best album Boston never made.
And I have more than a feeling (I thank you) that many a Boston and melodic rock fan would agree.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Actually, for close to two-thirds of the album it’s pretty much a Boston album in everything but name and Tom Scholz-less personnel.
And that, melodic rock ladies and AOR gents, is down to a carefully conceived & considered plan by Frontiers Records head honcho Serafino Perugino, the label’s in-house musician, songwriter and performer Alessandro Del Vecchio and Tommy DeCarlo.
The singer, who released Lightning Strikes Twice by DECARLO (the band he co-founded with his son Tommy DeCarlo Jr.) on Frontiers Records in 2020, clearly jumped at the chance to now do an album that’s part Boston homage part AOR solo-album.
Additionally, given his Boston credentials and the fact his favourite singer is the late and great Brad Delp (he has a timbre not that far removed from Delp, with similar phrasing nuances but sans the upper atmosphere top notes) Tommy DeCarlo is the perfect front man for such a solo project.
Dancing in the Moonlight also features Alessandro Del Vecchio on bass, keys and backing vocals, as well as production, mix & mastering.
In terms of that production, Del Vecchio has absolutely caught the Boston sound, while featured guitarists David Julian (eight tracks) and Martin Jepsen Andersen (four tracks) have done their six-string homework as regards capturing the essence of the Scholz sonics.
The album highlights those Boston-ised hooks and harmonies right from the get-go on the infectious and feel-good title track, which would have sat comfortably on Don’t Look Back or Third Stage.
'Dancing in the Moonlight' also features a nimble-fingered Scholz-nod from guest guitarist August Zadra (Dennis DeYoung live band), who delivered his own debut solo album, Guiding Star, for Frontiers Records earlier this year.
Following number 'Change Our Fate' is a tempo-changing winner (and a great vehicle for Tommy DeCarlo’s (melodic) rock tenor vocal) while 'Beyond Forever' is an impressive power-ballad featuring a soaring chorus vocal that’s a slower, distant cousin to that utilised on the Boston classic 'A Man I’ll Never Be' (other than which the songs are quite dissimilar).
'Life is Just a Game,' the album’s up-tempo & uplifting mid-tempo rocker, completes a solid quartet of Boston inspired songs; following numbers 'No Surrender' and 'The Game is On' remind of Boston because of Tommy DeCarlo’s vocality, but in reality both are well-written variations on formulaic melodic rock themes (rock ballad and AOR-rock, respectively).
Similarly, second power ballad 'This Road Will Lead To You' and the balladeering schmaltz of 'In the Hands of Fate' are too lyrically and musically derivative to make any impact beyond the 80s AOR lovers but melodic rocker 'Find the Love' returns things to an even, Boston modified keel.
Further highlights come by way of the hooky, harmony chorus rock of 'Home to You' and the acoustic embellished ballad 'Spread Your Wings,' featuring Tommy DeCarlo’s best vocal of the album (accompanied by a melodically complementary guitar solo from David Julian).
Album closer 'You And Me,' sporting a short but nicely fitting organ solo, is the perfect feel-good bookend to 'Dancing in the Moonlight;' it’s also exactly the sort of melodic rock number you could imagine closing out a Boston album had things been destined to follow a different, Scholz-Delp driven path after Third Stage and beyond.
Indeed, with Boston having lost some of their sonic identity to Corporate America in 2002 and then, sadly, their original voice in 2007 (followed six years later by the lacklustre Life, Love & Hope, which featured Tommy DeCarlo on four songs and the posthumous voice of Brad Delp on another four), there’s an argument to be had that Dancing in the Moonlight isn’t just Tommy DeCarlo’s debut solo album – it’s also the best album Boston never made.
And I have more than a feeling (I thank you) that many a Boston and melodic rock fan would agree.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Def Leppard – Diamond Star Halos
A lot has been made of Def Leppard’s Diamond Start Halos (nice T-Rex nod) and it’s free-to-write-what-they-want song diversity; yet it couldn’t be more classic Leppard at the outset…
With opener 'Take What You Want' – atmospheric harmony guitar intro, chugging riff and slow build beat leading to a big time rockin’ number with hooky pre-chorus followed by shout-it-out song title – you have the tried, tested and huge sound of classic era Def Leppard.
(epitomising what garnered them their platinum selling status of the Pyromania/ Hysteria era).
Following number, the glam-tastic 'Kick' is about as simple as it gets; it's basically the Arrows/ Joan Jett and their love of rock and roll meeting the (thankfully Leader-less) Glitter Band stomp, but it works infectiously well (when the most profound lyrics are the nah-na–nahs you know you’re on to a mindless-fun winner).
'Fire it Up' again channels a little of Miss Jett, here mixed with a Pour of even more Sugar on the Leppard sonic template (well, if it ain’t broke…); it’s also another that, lyrically, reinforces Classic Rock writer Dave Everley’s comment that singer Joe Elliott "is the first to admit that Leppard aren’t Bob Dylan. Sometimes they’re barely even Bob The Builder."
Dramatic contrast is then provided via 'This Guitar,' a spacious and semi-atmospheric power ballad meets country number featuring the wonderful voice of Alison Krauss in duet with Joe Elliot.
As well delivered as said duet is the song itself isn’t strong enough to save itself from coming across as no more than a clumsy crossover hybrid.
'Lifeless,' the other song to feature Alison Krauss, has, with no little title irony, some breezy and dusty tracked Americana life about it; it makes for a surprising highlight of the album.
The "whoa-oh!" laden 'SOS Emergency' is 80s melodic rock writ large (and a number FM will be wondering how they didn’t come up with it first) while the downtempo 'Liquid Dust' (no, me neither; but it certainly isn’t limp hair volumizer – although there may be plenty of that on the dressing room rider) is more about the rhythmic groove than, again, the lyric.
The cringy text-speak titled 'U Rok Mi' is another built on the groove, here with a naff but typical Leppard title-shout chorus that manages to tick the boxes for dance, disco and rock (sorry, Rok).
Next up is full-blown ballad 'Goodbye for Good This Time,' which features strings and an acoustic guitar picked instrumental section. Even the musically insipid Gary Barlow would struggle to make this song work but Joe Elliott’s fairly under-stated vocal is better, and more convincing, than one may expect.
The other strings (and piano accompanied) ballad 'Angels (Can’t Help You Now)' works a lot better, carrying some genuine gravitas in its arrangement and harmony voiced chorus.
Mid-tempo atmos-Leppard number 'All We Need' is also mid-tempo throwaway (Diamond Star Halos is a classic case of a 15 track album that should have been three songs lighter); the similarly paced but far weightier 'Open Your Eyes' (underpinned by a funky bass line from Rick Savage) works better through its use of light, shade and big Lepp harmonies on the chorus.
'Gimme a Kiss' is a slice of raunchy and stompy Leppard rock, but one that is intentionally sets itself up as a lyrical and musical homage to KISS, circa their late 80s early 90s rock radio era (Gene Simmons, not so much the God of Thunder as the God of Mammon, is no doubt in the process of writing up a 15% royalty cut demand).
After a quieter, slow build start, 'Unbreakable' shapes itself into late 80s Leppard dance-rock (back in the day it would have been a 12" extended remix) before the band get slow and melodically bluesy for five-and-a-half-minute album closer, 'From Here To Eternity.'
The latter, like 'Lifeless,' is an unexpected highlight of an album the fan boys and girls will love but have as many of us acknowledging that while it has its moments, just what is all the Diamond Star fuss about.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
With opener 'Take What You Want' – atmospheric harmony guitar intro, chugging riff and slow build beat leading to a big time rockin’ number with hooky pre-chorus followed by shout-it-out song title – you have the tried, tested and huge sound of classic era Def Leppard.
(epitomising what garnered them their platinum selling status of the Pyromania/ Hysteria era).
Following number, the glam-tastic 'Kick' is about as simple as it gets; it's basically the Arrows/ Joan Jett and their love of rock and roll meeting the (thankfully Leader-less) Glitter Band stomp, but it works infectiously well (when the most profound lyrics are the nah-na–nahs you know you’re on to a mindless-fun winner).
'Fire it Up' again channels a little of Miss Jett, here mixed with a Pour of even more Sugar on the Leppard sonic template (well, if it ain’t broke…); it’s also another that, lyrically, reinforces Classic Rock writer Dave Everley’s comment that singer Joe Elliott "is the first to admit that Leppard aren’t Bob Dylan. Sometimes they’re barely even Bob The Builder."
Dramatic contrast is then provided via 'This Guitar,' a spacious and semi-atmospheric power ballad meets country number featuring the wonderful voice of Alison Krauss in duet with Joe Elliot.
As well delivered as said duet is the song itself isn’t strong enough to save itself from coming across as no more than a clumsy crossover hybrid.
'Lifeless,' the other song to feature Alison Krauss, has, with no little title irony, some breezy and dusty tracked Americana life about it; it makes for a surprising highlight of the album.
The "whoa-oh!" laden 'SOS Emergency' is 80s melodic rock writ large (and a number FM will be wondering how they didn’t come up with it first) while the downtempo 'Liquid Dust' (no, me neither; but it certainly isn’t limp hair volumizer – although there may be plenty of that on the dressing room rider) is more about the rhythmic groove than, again, the lyric.
The cringy text-speak titled 'U Rok Mi' is another built on the groove, here with a naff but typical Leppard title-shout chorus that manages to tick the boxes for dance, disco and rock (sorry, Rok).
Next up is full-blown ballad 'Goodbye for Good This Time,' which features strings and an acoustic guitar picked instrumental section. Even the musically insipid Gary Barlow would struggle to make this song work but Joe Elliott’s fairly under-stated vocal is better, and more convincing, than one may expect.
The other strings (and piano accompanied) ballad 'Angels (Can’t Help You Now)' works a lot better, carrying some genuine gravitas in its arrangement and harmony voiced chorus.
Mid-tempo atmos-Leppard number 'All We Need' is also mid-tempo throwaway (Diamond Star Halos is a classic case of a 15 track album that should have been three songs lighter); the similarly paced but far weightier 'Open Your Eyes' (underpinned by a funky bass line from Rick Savage) works better through its use of light, shade and big Lepp harmonies on the chorus.
'Gimme a Kiss' is a slice of raunchy and stompy Leppard rock, but one that is intentionally sets itself up as a lyrical and musical homage to KISS, circa their late 80s early 90s rock radio era (Gene Simmons, not so much the God of Thunder as the God of Mammon, is no doubt in the process of writing up a 15% royalty cut demand).
After a quieter, slow build start, 'Unbreakable' shapes itself into late 80s Leppard dance-rock (back in the day it would have been a 12" extended remix) before the band get slow and melodically bluesy for five-and-a-half-minute album closer, 'From Here To Eternity.'
The latter, like 'Lifeless,' is an unexpected highlight of an album the fan boys and girls will love but have as many of us acknowledging that while it has its moments, just what is all the Diamond Star fuss about.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Dim Gray – Firmament
Norwegian art-rock post-progressive trio Dim Gray (Oskar Holldorff - lead vocals, keys, programming, orchestration; Håkon Høiberg - guitars, mandolin, lead & backing vocals; Tom Ian Klungland - drums, percussion, backing vocals) were heard to fine, evocative effect in 2020 on debut album Flown, an emotive set of songs interconnected via a conceptual theme of loss and loneliness (the then ongoing COVID-19 pandemic making said theme all the more poignant).
That debut, originally only available digitally, deservedly saw larger release in 2022 in both CD and 2LP format, with four bonus songs.
The band have now Flown (I thank you) further with sophomore release Firmament, which ranges from beautiful melancholy (a Dim Grey trait) to more shimmering sounds and uplifting melodies.
Firmament, as with the debut album, also benefits from other instrumentation via some notable guest performances (cello, violin, electric bass and flute all feature).
Opener 'Mare,' is a bright, Celtic sheened affair (with contemplative middle 8) that belays the darker nightmare lyric ("I can’t tame the violent winds that howl your name, when will I shake my mare"); following number 'Ashes' is an atmospheric piece where violin, cello and grand piano all fill the sound of a song that’s not far removed from a darker (but no less impacting) Clannad.
'Undertow' is a darker toned and slightly off-kilter piece that seems to reflect on childhood memories ("toy boat downstream, tumbling free, caught in a riverbank") while the undertow pulls at either the loneliness or current watery predicament (or both) of our protagonist.
A highlight of the album is 'Avalon/The Tide,' which flits from delicately framed piano backed verses to bigger, rhythmic, sea-crashing choruses ("where the ocean meets the sky, I know that’s where you lie, I will know that I’ve arrived when I wash with The Tide").
It also, along with the yearning of following number '52~' ("down under the waves there’s no harm, nothing to upset, no alarms, I can sense the beat of your heart even though we’re oceans apart") reinforces the album themes of Time and Tide.
While other highlights include the melancholic and balladeering 'Long Ago' and 'My Barren Road' (the piano and string-backed former dovetails the forlorn with the more uplifting; the latter carries slightly more Celtic tonality) there is the sense of a lull as the album heads toward its conclusion.
'Cannons' is light and airy but Håkon Høiberg’s vibrato filled lead vocal is lacking in comparison to that of featured vocalist Oskar Holldorff; the wistful 'Iron Henry' (featuring Grégoire Blanc on musical saw and Theremin) and the piano & string-backed title track are both lovely numbers but the three aforementioned songs, back-to-back-to-back, almost cancel each other out.
'Meridian' however, which segues directly from 'Firmament,' allows the album to close out in powerfully melancholic fashion.
Playing out over not much more than a repeated piano motif, cymbal-wave crashing atmospherics and a plaintive but beautifully placed ever-rising vocal from Oskar Holldorff, 'Meridian' could only ever be the final song ("we, hewn from stone, water breaks, upon our bones / we are in the deep, weightless and oblique").
While melancholic in tone Firmament is a lush offering of highly contemporary indie-folk meshed with electronics, strings and art-rock.
That Dim Gray also manage to conjure audio images of the likes of Radiohead, Steven Wilson, the Beach Boys and Agnes Obel (Firmament should appeal to many fans of those artists), is no mean musical feat.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That debut, originally only available digitally, deservedly saw larger release in 2022 in both CD and 2LP format, with four bonus songs.
The band have now Flown (I thank you) further with sophomore release Firmament, which ranges from beautiful melancholy (a Dim Grey trait) to more shimmering sounds and uplifting melodies.
Firmament, as with the debut album, also benefits from other instrumentation via some notable guest performances (cello, violin, electric bass and flute all feature).
Opener 'Mare,' is a bright, Celtic sheened affair (with contemplative middle 8) that belays the darker nightmare lyric ("I can’t tame the violent winds that howl your name, when will I shake my mare"); following number 'Ashes' is an atmospheric piece where violin, cello and grand piano all fill the sound of a song that’s not far removed from a darker (but no less impacting) Clannad.
'Undertow' is a darker toned and slightly off-kilter piece that seems to reflect on childhood memories ("toy boat downstream, tumbling free, caught in a riverbank") while the undertow pulls at either the loneliness or current watery predicament (or both) of our protagonist.
A highlight of the album is 'Avalon/The Tide,' which flits from delicately framed piano backed verses to bigger, rhythmic, sea-crashing choruses ("where the ocean meets the sky, I know that’s where you lie, I will know that I’ve arrived when I wash with The Tide").
It also, along with the yearning of following number '52~' ("down under the waves there’s no harm, nothing to upset, no alarms, I can sense the beat of your heart even though we’re oceans apart") reinforces the album themes of Time and Tide.
While other highlights include the melancholic and balladeering 'Long Ago' and 'My Barren Road' (the piano and string-backed former dovetails the forlorn with the more uplifting; the latter carries slightly more Celtic tonality) there is the sense of a lull as the album heads toward its conclusion.
'Cannons' is light and airy but Håkon Høiberg’s vibrato filled lead vocal is lacking in comparison to that of featured vocalist Oskar Holldorff; the wistful 'Iron Henry' (featuring Grégoire Blanc on musical saw and Theremin) and the piano & string-backed title track are both lovely numbers but the three aforementioned songs, back-to-back-to-back, almost cancel each other out.
'Meridian' however, which segues directly from 'Firmament,' allows the album to close out in powerfully melancholic fashion.
Playing out over not much more than a repeated piano motif, cymbal-wave crashing atmospherics and a plaintive but beautifully placed ever-rising vocal from Oskar Holldorff, 'Meridian' could only ever be the final song ("we, hewn from stone, water breaks, upon our bones / we are in the deep, weightless and oblique").
While melancholic in tone Firmament is a lush offering of highly contemporary indie-folk meshed with electronics, strings and art-rock.
That Dim Gray also manage to conjure audio images of the likes of Radiohead, Steven Wilson, the Beach Boys and Agnes Obel (Firmament should appeal to many fans of those artists), is no mean musical feat.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Alice DiMicele – Every Seed We Plant
Acclaimed Southern Oregon based Americana/ folk artist Alice DiMicele gets more immersive (musically, lyrically and vocally) with each release.
Her sixteenth album, Every Seed We Plant, certainly gives credence to that opinion/ observation, for this is an album (co-produced and arranged by Bret Levick) that sees the genre-flexible DiMicele taking her music into new territory – pop, blues, country, jazz and some folky rock and roll are all seeds planted within this all-encompassing album.
Furthermore, the fact a number of the songs (through thoughtful, inner-soul lyricism) explore themes of grief, loss and depression (experiences suffered by so many in recent lockdown and pandemic times) gives the album additional, real-life (and death) gravitas.
Opener 'For Granted' (co-written with Bret Levick) is a delightful, waltzing blues that has a lot in common with 'I’d Rather Go Blind' (not in note-for-note terms (although there are similarities) but in its impassioned, 'I need you' framed lyricism).
The song is further enhanced by an equally impassioned blues vocal from Alice DiMicele and some nice Hammond B3 backing (and short solo) from Skip Edwards.
'Long Dry Winter,' by contrast, is a dreamier and lyrically grieving affair ("the truth of you still lives inside me and all about"); musically it hearkens back to Joni Mitchell’s more experimental and jazzier folk textures of the late 70s and early 80s before slow-building to a blend of Dean Angermeier’s Fender Rhodes, delicate guitars and a subtle string arrangement.
Tapping into Alice DiMicele’s love of folk-pop is the breezy and uplifting 'Free;' following number, 'Alone,' is a beautifully emotive ballad featuring little more than a fittingly lone voice, acoustic guitar and Barry Phillips’ sorrowful cello.
Coming out the other side of being 'Alone' is the country-folk fun of 'Sunrise,' where loneliness has been swapped for the company of another ("I want to sleep with you in our bed, wake up early to catch the sunrise").
Contrast (a sequenced theme of the album) is then provided by the more singer-songwriter orientated 'Rise,' a mid-tempo invitation to share one's grief ("take hold of this hand I reach out to you – alone we are lost, together we’ll pull thru").
Similarly singer-songwriter styled is 'Communication,' a country-folk tale of regret and reflection that sits as a more delicate album highlight.
Another highlight is 'Dispatch,' a musically jaunty and rhythmic piece that belies a very hard hitting lyric about the killing of ex-marine Kenneth Chamberlain in 2011 ("that a black man is unsafe in his own house is so absurd.")
The up-tempo AOR crossover country (and slightly Springsteen-esque) of 'Jersey' (Alice DiMicele is originally from New Jersey) offers itself up as yet another highlight before the blues come calling in the shape of 'Sweet Elaine.' The latter is a lovely, six-and-a-half minute country blues with a happy, "four paws" ending.
The atmospheric and folk-based 'Every Seed' could only be the album closer, especially given it’s a lovely musical memorial to Alice Di Micele’s dear friend and elder of the Takelma Tribe, Agnes Pilgrim Baker.
"Every seed we plant is love, every seed we plant is life… every seed we plant is peace, every seed we plant is hope."
And from every seed Alice DiMicele plants comes fruitful musical, and vocally resonant, growth.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Her sixteenth album, Every Seed We Plant, certainly gives credence to that opinion/ observation, for this is an album (co-produced and arranged by Bret Levick) that sees the genre-flexible DiMicele taking her music into new territory – pop, blues, country, jazz and some folky rock and roll are all seeds planted within this all-encompassing album.
Furthermore, the fact a number of the songs (through thoughtful, inner-soul lyricism) explore themes of grief, loss and depression (experiences suffered by so many in recent lockdown and pandemic times) gives the album additional, real-life (and death) gravitas.
Opener 'For Granted' (co-written with Bret Levick) is a delightful, waltzing blues that has a lot in common with 'I’d Rather Go Blind' (not in note-for-note terms (although there are similarities) but in its impassioned, 'I need you' framed lyricism).
The song is further enhanced by an equally impassioned blues vocal from Alice DiMicele and some nice Hammond B3 backing (and short solo) from Skip Edwards.
'Long Dry Winter,' by contrast, is a dreamier and lyrically grieving affair ("the truth of you still lives inside me and all about"); musically it hearkens back to Joni Mitchell’s more experimental and jazzier folk textures of the late 70s and early 80s before slow-building to a blend of Dean Angermeier’s Fender Rhodes, delicate guitars and a subtle string arrangement.
Tapping into Alice DiMicele’s love of folk-pop is the breezy and uplifting 'Free;' following number, 'Alone,' is a beautifully emotive ballad featuring little more than a fittingly lone voice, acoustic guitar and Barry Phillips’ sorrowful cello.
Coming out the other side of being 'Alone' is the country-folk fun of 'Sunrise,' where loneliness has been swapped for the company of another ("I want to sleep with you in our bed, wake up early to catch the sunrise").
Contrast (a sequenced theme of the album) is then provided by the more singer-songwriter orientated 'Rise,' a mid-tempo invitation to share one's grief ("take hold of this hand I reach out to you – alone we are lost, together we’ll pull thru").
Similarly singer-songwriter styled is 'Communication,' a country-folk tale of regret and reflection that sits as a more delicate album highlight.
Another highlight is 'Dispatch,' a musically jaunty and rhythmic piece that belies a very hard hitting lyric about the killing of ex-marine Kenneth Chamberlain in 2011 ("that a black man is unsafe in his own house is so absurd.")
The up-tempo AOR crossover country (and slightly Springsteen-esque) of 'Jersey' (Alice DiMicele is originally from New Jersey) offers itself up as yet another highlight before the blues come calling in the shape of 'Sweet Elaine.' The latter is a lovely, six-and-a-half minute country blues with a happy, "four paws" ending.
The atmospheric and folk-based 'Every Seed' could only be the album closer, especially given it’s a lovely musical memorial to Alice Di Micele’s dear friend and elder of the Takelma Tribe, Agnes Pilgrim Baker.
"Every seed we plant is love, every seed we plant is life… every seed we plant is peace, every seed we plant is hope."
And from every seed Alice DiMicele plants comes fruitful musical, and vocally resonant, growth.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Ivan Drever - Decade; (Out Of) Lockdown
To paraphrase from an old insert-your-most-unreliable-public-transport-service-name-here joke, you wait ten years for an Ivan Drever album to appear then two turn up within months of each other…
It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since Scottish folk singer Ivan Drever’s latest all-new material solo album.
It certainly doesn’t seem like it (and in a way it’s not, more on which later) but in terms of a fully recorded, mixed and engineered studio release (courtesy of Andy Harrison in Kristiandsand in Norway) it has been all of those ten years.
As would be expected from the Orkney born and Norway based singer-songwriter, a number of the songs on Decade carry the essence of traditional Orcadian folk, both in musical arrangement and lyrical story-telling.
There are also three delightful instrumentals, including the lovely lament 'The Gentle Giant,' which is just that.
Ten years on, Ivan Drever’s rich baritone vocal now has a more bass-baritone world weariness attached, but that only adds to the authenticity of the material (especially 'The Wall,' which, while up-tempo, is intentionally world weary in its lyricism) and the homeliness (the only thing missing is the clink of a whisky glass and the crackle of a roaring log fire).
The album also features well over a dozen of Ivan Drever’s music pals, including Old Wolfstonian colleagues guitarist Andy Murray and drummer Ronny Watson (Drever was part of Scottish folk and rollers Wolfstone throughout most of the 90s, the band’s most successful and prominent period).
Right from the off there’s a charm, warmth and twinkling of the lyrical eye, as heard on acoustic based opener 'Give Me Mine' ("I’m not bitter and twisted, I just happen to come from a long line of people who are...").
The wistful side of Ivan Drever can be heard on 'Bring it Back' (featuring Rod Paul on Mandolin), while there’s a family get-together (Ivan, Kris and Duncan Drever, the latter on slide guitar) for the delicate, delightful and lullaby-styled 'Soren’s Song.'
Then there’s the jaunty 'Every Time You Run,' which is scarily close to an acoustic folk-pop version of Badfinger’s catchy 1970 hit, 'No Matter What.'
Decade closes out with another Ivan Drever strength, that of a solo rendition of an old folk tune with his own trad. arrangement; in this case 19th century English folk song 'The Snows They Melt the Soonest.'
It’s hard to believe it’s been a decade since Scottish folk singer Ivan Drever’s latest all-new material solo album.
It certainly doesn’t seem like it (and in a way it’s not, more on which later) but in terms of a fully recorded, mixed and engineered studio release (courtesy of Andy Harrison in Kristiandsand in Norway) it has been all of those ten years.
As would be expected from the Orkney born and Norway based singer-songwriter, a number of the songs on Decade carry the essence of traditional Orcadian folk, both in musical arrangement and lyrical story-telling.
There are also three delightful instrumentals, including the lovely lament 'The Gentle Giant,' which is just that.
Ten years on, Ivan Drever’s rich baritone vocal now has a more bass-baritone world weariness attached, but that only adds to the authenticity of the material (especially 'The Wall,' which, while up-tempo, is intentionally world weary in its lyricism) and the homeliness (the only thing missing is the clink of a whisky glass and the crackle of a roaring log fire).
The album also features well over a dozen of Ivan Drever’s music pals, including Old Wolfstonian colleagues guitarist Andy Murray and drummer Ronny Watson (Drever was part of Scottish folk and rollers Wolfstone throughout most of the 90s, the band’s most successful and prominent period).
Right from the off there’s a charm, warmth and twinkling of the lyrical eye, as heard on acoustic based opener 'Give Me Mine' ("I’m not bitter and twisted, I just happen to come from a long line of people who are...").
The wistful side of Ivan Drever can be heard on 'Bring it Back' (featuring Rod Paul on Mandolin), while there’s a family get-together (Ivan, Kris and Duncan Drever, the latter on slide guitar) for the delicate, delightful and lullaby-styled 'Soren’s Song.'
Then there’s the jaunty 'Every Time You Run,' which is scarily close to an acoustic folk-pop version of Badfinger’s catchy 1970 hit, 'No Matter What.'
Decade closes out with another Ivan Drever strength, that of a solo rendition of an old folk tune with his own trad. arrangement; in this case 19th century English folk song 'The Snows They Melt the Soonest.'
Instrumental album (Out Of) Lockdown tells a little of the story in its title, but not all.
In 2021 Ivan Drever released The Lockdown Sessions, twelve instrumental tunes written & recorded at home, solo, and in one take (it’s therefore seen more as a collection of solo, keep-in-practice-during-lockdown instrumentals than part of the official Ivan Drever solo canon).
(Out Of) Lockdown however carries bigger meaning.
Some of the tunes were recorded during the latter lockdown period but many came after – the connecting factor is every song was commissioned by fans or people looking for something special for a loved one, a birthday or an anniversary etc.
Highlights among the fourteen tunes include the jaunty 'Dara Stuart’s Jig,' the repeating refrain of 'A Path For You to Tread' (that you can almost sing the title to), the romantic charm of 'McGorum's Sweet Highland Rose' and the Scandinavian folk stylings of the six-minute 'Norwegian Barque;' there’s also more than a little poignancy attached to a finger-picked 'Waltz' that’s been written "for an unknown person."
By its very nature the album also highlights how good an acoustic guitar player Ivan Drever is in finger-style and folk-craft, with a tuning/ tone all his own.
Folk on, Mr Drever – but let’s not have another ten year wait for the next one. Or two.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
In 2021 Ivan Drever released The Lockdown Sessions, twelve instrumental tunes written & recorded at home, solo, and in one take (it’s therefore seen more as a collection of solo, keep-in-practice-during-lockdown instrumentals than part of the official Ivan Drever solo canon).
(Out Of) Lockdown however carries bigger meaning.
Some of the tunes were recorded during the latter lockdown period but many came after – the connecting factor is every song was commissioned by fans or people looking for something special for a loved one, a birthday or an anniversary etc.
Highlights among the fourteen tunes include the jaunty 'Dara Stuart’s Jig,' the repeating refrain of 'A Path For You to Tread' (that you can almost sing the title to), the romantic charm of 'McGorum's Sweet Highland Rose' and the Scandinavian folk stylings of the six-minute 'Norwegian Barque;' there’s also more than a little poignancy attached to a finger-picked 'Waltz' that’s been written "for an unknown person."
By its very nature the album also highlights how good an acoustic guitar player Ivan Drever is in finger-style and folk-craft, with a tuning/ tone all his own.
Folk on, Mr Drever – but let’s not have another ten year wait for the next one. Or two.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Gareth Dunlop – Animal
It’s quite conceivable that singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Gareth Dunlop, even with a couple of solo albums (including stripped back/ 'late night' music style of debut release No.79) and a clutch of EPs under his belt, will always be best known for his music successes in TV, film and commercials/ promos (notable screen contributions include a number of songs for critically praised US musical soap drama Nashville).
But the Belfast born Dunlop, with a fair musical wind behind him, may well find himself garnering even more plaudits for new solo album Animal, which takes its lead not from guitar or piano based singer-songwriter material (although those instruments do feature) but an immersive, synth textured set of songs that blend ambient pop with soul, a touch of Celtic and a splash of cinematic.
The synth-pulse notes and subtle electro-pop beat (along with sparingly used drums for percussive punctuation) of the title track set up both the song (with simple but effective, harmonised one word chorus) and the album’s hooky charm and rhythmic style.
'Pulling Heaven Down,' a song that features guitars up in the mix (and a lovely soft and warm mix it is too, courtesy of Alastair McMillan) is another Irish crooned winner, with atmospheric chorus and percussive tempo.
'Look Back Smiling' is, simply, one of the most infectious, curiously uplifting (given its lyrical emphasis) and (later) life affirming songs you will hear this year – or any year.
A reflective look back at growing old and "on the last rotation going around this sun," 'Smile' is a chance to do just that, while acknowledging we must make the most of the "fast as lighting" time we have.
(That it carries even more of a 'Smile' factor in its Official Music Video guise, is a credit to both BrokenFilmNI and the younger Dunlop family members who feature).
There’s a lovely blues-gospel vibe carrying through 'Old Friends' before another reflective number, the Celtic/ Clannad-tinged 'Sorrow,' drops the tempo and musical mood to frame Gareth Dunlop’s best vocal of the entire album (via a lyric that contemplatively lifts from the darkness of loss: "Memories, that once brought you down, bring you up with ease").
Atmospheric ballad 'Humans' comes complete with dreamier soundscape attached while the ambience of 'Headlights' reflects (no pun intended) back to the core sound of the album, albeit here in a slightly more singer-songwriter arrangement.
The soft and breezy 'My Kind Of Paradise' manages to mix Celtic with a touch of Calypso before 'Right About Ready' musically mirrors 'Animal,' but here with a stronger, drum heavy rhythm that lends support (in both senses) to the song’s affirmative "about time I pulled myself up off the ground!" lyric.
Musical contrast is then provided via album closer 'Prisoner of My Past,' an atmospheric (and, again, slightly Celtic/ gospel) and haunting track featuring Gareth Dunlop in reflective (you’ll have detected a recurring theme) and soul-bearing, truthful voice.
The results, across both the song and the entire album, is a lyrical, musical and vocal honesty that, in terms of genuine artistry, puts Gareth Dunlop and Animal well above the more commercially successful, Spotify playlisted sound-a-likes of singer-songwriter pop.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But the Belfast born Dunlop, with a fair musical wind behind him, may well find himself garnering even more plaudits for new solo album Animal, which takes its lead not from guitar or piano based singer-songwriter material (although those instruments do feature) but an immersive, synth textured set of songs that blend ambient pop with soul, a touch of Celtic and a splash of cinematic.
The synth-pulse notes and subtle electro-pop beat (along with sparingly used drums for percussive punctuation) of the title track set up both the song (with simple but effective, harmonised one word chorus) and the album’s hooky charm and rhythmic style.
'Pulling Heaven Down,' a song that features guitars up in the mix (and a lovely soft and warm mix it is too, courtesy of Alastair McMillan) is another Irish crooned winner, with atmospheric chorus and percussive tempo.
'Look Back Smiling' is, simply, one of the most infectious, curiously uplifting (given its lyrical emphasis) and (later) life affirming songs you will hear this year – or any year.
A reflective look back at growing old and "on the last rotation going around this sun," 'Smile' is a chance to do just that, while acknowledging we must make the most of the "fast as lighting" time we have.
(That it carries even more of a 'Smile' factor in its Official Music Video guise, is a credit to both BrokenFilmNI and the younger Dunlop family members who feature).
There’s a lovely blues-gospel vibe carrying through 'Old Friends' before another reflective number, the Celtic/ Clannad-tinged 'Sorrow,' drops the tempo and musical mood to frame Gareth Dunlop’s best vocal of the entire album (via a lyric that contemplatively lifts from the darkness of loss: "Memories, that once brought you down, bring you up with ease").
Atmospheric ballad 'Humans' comes complete with dreamier soundscape attached while the ambience of 'Headlights' reflects (no pun intended) back to the core sound of the album, albeit here in a slightly more singer-songwriter arrangement.
The soft and breezy 'My Kind Of Paradise' manages to mix Celtic with a touch of Calypso before 'Right About Ready' musically mirrors 'Animal,' but here with a stronger, drum heavy rhythm that lends support (in both senses) to the song’s affirmative "about time I pulled myself up off the ground!" lyric.
Musical contrast is then provided via album closer 'Prisoner of My Past,' an atmospheric (and, again, slightly Celtic/ gospel) and haunting track featuring Gareth Dunlop in reflective (you’ll have detected a recurring theme) and soul-bearing, truthful voice.
The results, across both the song and the entire album, is a lyrical, musical and vocal honesty that, in terms of genuine artistry, puts Gareth Dunlop and Animal well above the more commercially successful, Spotify playlisted sound-a-likes of singer-songwriter pop.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Envy Of None – Envy Of None
Pre-debut album release Envy of None probably got most attention as the new project of Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson.
However while there are a couple of reminders of the legendary Lerxst sound & style (and considering the vast array of styles Rush incorporated in their 40+ year, 19 studio album career), the only thing Rush about the self-titled debut from Envy Of None is indeed, Mr Lifeson (but then anyone familiar with Lifeson’s solo album Victor of 1996 will know to expect the unexpected).
Envy Of None, built around the voice and melody ideas of American singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne, Alex Lifeson’s guitar textures (there’s very little soloing), bassist Andy Curran and engineer/ producer/ guitarist Alfio Annibalini (with contribution from drummers David Quinton Steinberg and Tim Oxford), are more akin to a contemporary sounding take of 80s dark-pop and rhythmic ambience – more atmospheric, alt-rock power to them for that.
Pulsating and rhythmic opener 'Never Said I Love You,' with its mix of synth textures, sonic atmospheres and choppier guitar parts, is a prime example of that dark-pop styling, and a great way to make it very clear this a band in its own sounding right and not just a vehicle that features Alex Lifeson.
The bigger, lush sound of the opener is contrasted by the sparser electro-pop sound of 'Shadows,' where Maiah Wynne delivers a vocal not unlike a softer slightly sinister and, yes, shadowy form of Suzanne Vega, over a repeating rhythmic cadence and Indian/eastern textures (later number 'Dumb' is another electro-pop-beat number that hooks you in and refuses to let go).
'Look Inside' offers up a shifting, at times off-kilter kaleidoscope of musical colours that swirl around the ethereal vocalisations of Maiah Wynne before the dark-pop melodies return in the shape of 'Liar.'
The latter interweaves a haunting vocal melody line with ribbons of synths and semi-industrial support.
The relatively short 'Spy House' is one of two songs that first saw light of instrumental day a year ago on Alex Lifson’s website.
Here however the song has been reworked with breathy and pseudo sensual vocals that plays counterpoint to Alex Lifeson’s imaginative guitar stylings. Similarly reworked, but with slower, darker ambience, is Lifeson’s other originally instrumental piece, 'Kabul Blues.'
The brooding 'Dog’s Life' and dark atmosphere’s of 'Enemy' up the semi-industrial, heaviest songs on the album ante; contrast is provided by 'Old Strings,' which delicately drops the intensity to deliver what, in any other musical time or space (with Envy Of None all bets are off) would be pedal steel country meets U2.
Seemingly at odds with what has come before, yet fittingly closing out the album, is the short, emotive and poignant Alex Lifeson led instrumental 'Western Sunset.'
The perfectly titled piece is dedicated to, and composed around the passing of, Lifeson’s Rush bandmate Neil Peart – an echo of an illustrious past, placed in the present of one of the most interesting albums you will hear all year.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
However while there are a couple of reminders of the legendary Lerxst sound & style (and considering the vast array of styles Rush incorporated in their 40+ year, 19 studio album career), the only thing Rush about the self-titled debut from Envy Of None is indeed, Mr Lifeson (but then anyone familiar with Lifeson’s solo album Victor of 1996 will know to expect the unexpected).
Envy Of None, built around the voice and melody ideas of American singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne, Alex Lifeson’s guitar textures (there’s very little soloing), bassist Andy Curran and engineer/ producer/ guitarist Alfio Annibalini (with contribution from drummers David Quinton Steinberg and Tim Oxford), are more akin to a contemporary sounding take of 80s dark-pop and rhythmic ambience – more atmospheric, alt-rock power to them for that.
Pulsating and rhythmic opener 'Never Said I Love You,' with its mix of synth textures, sonic atmospheres and choppier guitar parts, is a prime example of that dark-pop styling, and a great way to make it very clear this a band in its own sounding right and not just a vehicle that features Alex Lifeson.
The bigger, lush sound of the opener is contrasted by the sparser electro-pop sound of 'Shadows,' where Maiah Wynne delivers a vocal not unlike a softer slightly sinister and, yes, shadowy form of Suzanne Vega, over a repeating rhythmic cadence and Indian/eastern textures (later number 'Dumb' is another electro-pop-beat number that hooks you in and refuses to let go).
'Look Inside' offers up a shifting, at times off-kilter kaleidoscope of musical colours that swirl around the ethereal vocalisations of Maiah Wynne before the dark-pop melodies return in the shape of 'Liar.'
The latter interweaves a haunting vocal melody line with ribbons of synths and semi-industrial support.
The relatively short 'Spy House' is one of two songs that first saw light of instrumental day a year ago on Alex Lifson’s website.
Here however the song has been reworked with breathy and pseudo sensual vocals that plays counterpoint to Alex Lifeson’s imaginative guitar stylings. Similarly reworked, but with slower, darker ambience, is Lifeson’s other originally instrumental piece, 'Kabul Blues.'
The brooding 'Dog’s Life' and dark atmosphere’s of 'Enemy' up the semi-industrial, heaviest songs on the album ante; contrast is provided by 'Old Strings,' which delicately drops the intensity to deliver what, in any other musical time or space (with Envy Of None all bets are off) would be pedal steel country meets U2.
Seemingly at odds with what has come before, yet fittingly closing out the album, is the short, emotive and poignant Alex Lifeson led instrumental 'Western Sunset.'
The perfectly titled piece is dedicated to, and composed around the passing of, Lifeson’s Rush bandmate Neil Peart – an echo of an illustrious past, placed in the present of one of the most interesting albums you will hear all year.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
False Memories – Live Until the Twilight EP
By touting Live Until The Twilight as an EP Italian Goth-metal band False Memories are selling the release a little short – at eight songs (plus short 'Intro' piece) and nearly forty minutes long, it’s pretty much a full (but shorter set) live album.
But then False Memories also sell themselves short by being labelled or referenced as a Goth-metal band, as FabricationsHQ pointed out when reviewing their impressive second album The Last Night of The Fall in 2021.
This is a quintet with a broader sonic palette than a Goth-metal label suggests – focussing songwriting skills and musicianship around highly atmospheric (and at times melancholic) arrangements that also incorporate rock, progressive metal (but more song concise), melodic light, powerfully riffed shade and a good sense of dynamics (as proof of their various influences, check out covers EP Echoes of a Reflection, which pays tribute to the likes of Katatonia, The Gathering and All About Eve).
And then there’s the impressive, purposeful and soaring vocals of Rossella Moscatello, who joined the band in 2018 shortly after the release of debut album Chimerical (such was the vocal impact of signorina Moscatello that False Memories released a new edition of Chimerical later that same year, including three bonus tracks sung by their new vocalist).
The new EP features and promotes songs from current album The Last Night of The Fall while also showcasing how well the band – primary songwriters Rossella Moscatello and guitarist Francesco Savino, second guitarist Moreno Palmisano, drummer Emanuele Cossu, bassist Gianluca Zaffino – can cut it live.
It also acts as a nice little live memento to The Last Night of The Fall in a live setting; with the band currently working on a third studio album it’s highly likely future live shows will not feature as many second album songs as this EP showcases.
From the short, stage arrival 'Intro' piece False Memories atmospherically slow-build through, first, 'Deep Breath' (reflective passages dovetailing with bone-crunching rifferama) then 'Rain of Souls' (a melancholic number counterpointed by a lovely melody and more hard-hitting riffery).
The horror-soundtrack styled 'The Illusionist' would sit comfortably on a John Carpenter album; it also highlights the band’s clever use of unexpected chord sequences, which add to the sonic textures of False Memories and The Last Night of The Fall.
'Black Shades' is another cleverly arranged number; it builds from a (backing tracked) piano and vocal part to a prog-rock themed first verse before weighty guitar chords are introduced at the chorus.
'Voices' then makes itself heard, in outstanding rise and fall fashion. A truly striking number, 'Voices' is an epic of atmospheric, modern melancholic metal, bolstered by unusual time signatures, a huge chorus and a great vocal performance from Rossella Moscatello.
'Erased' provides further delicate light and heavy duty shade beyond the Goth-metal template; by contrast 'White Crows' is the very definition of "derivative of the genre," albeit featuring bags of darker atmosphere and some impressive outro highs from Rossella Moscatello.
Final song 'Hysteria' (again with backing tracked piano) is a slower, unsettling number with powerful chorus and some menacing, understated riffing (like 'The Illusionist,' there’s more than a touch of suspense film theme music here).
Live Until The Twilight is a worthy addition to the False Memories catalogue, but for those who would rather "be at," or see, the performance, the band have also released it as a full performance video on YouTube.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But then False Memories also sell themselves short by being labelled or referenced as a Goth-metal band, as FabricationsHQ pointed out when reviewing their impressive second album The Last Night of The Fall in 2021.
This is a quintet with a broader sonic palette than a Goth-metal label suggests – focussing songwriting skills and musicianship around highly atmospheric (and at times melancholic) arrangements that also incorporate rock, progressive metal (but more song concise), melodic light, powerfully riffed shade and a good sense of dynamics (as proof of their various influences, check out covers EP Echoes of a Reflection, which pays tribute to the likes of Katatonia, The Gathering and All About Eve).
And then there’s the impressive, purposeful and soaring vocals of Rossella Moscatello, who joined the band in 2018 shortly after the release of debut album Chimerical (such was the vocal impact of signorina Moscatello that False Memories released a new edition of Chimerical later that same year, including three bonus tracks sung by their new vocalist).
The new EP features and promotes songs from current album The Last Night of The Fall while also showcasing how well the band – primary songwriters Rossella Moscatello and guitarist Francesco Savino, second guitarist Moreno Palmisano, drummer Emanuele Cossu, bassist Gianluca Zaffino – can cut it live.
It also acts as a nice little live memento to The Last Night of The Fall in a live setting; with the band currently working on a third studio album it’s highly likely future live shows will not feature as many second album songs as this EP showcases.
From the short, stage arrival 'Intro' piece False Memories atmospherically slow-build through, first, 'Deep Breath' (reflective passages dovetailing with bone-crunching rifferama) then 'Rain of Souls' (a melancholic number counterpointed by a lovely melody and more hard-hitting riffery).
The horror-soundtrack styled 'The Illusionist' would sit comfortably on a John Carpenter album; it also highlights the band’s clever use of unexpected chord sequences, which add to the sonic textures of False Memories and The Last Night of The Fall.
'Black Shades' is another cleverly arranged number; it builds from a (backing tracked) piano and vocal part to a prog-rock themed first verse before weighty guitar chords are introduced at the chorus.
'Voices' then makes itself heard, in outstanding rise and fall fashion. A truly striking number, 'Voices' is an epic of atmospheric, modern melancholic metal, bolstered by unusual time signatures, a huge chorus and a great vocal performance from Rossella Moscatello.
'Erased' provides further delicate light and heavy duty shade beyond the Goth-metal template; by contrast 'White Crows' is the very definition of "derivative of the genre," albeit featuring bags of darker atmosphere and some impressive outro highs from Rossella Moscatello.
Final song 'Hysteria' (again with backing tracked piano) is a slower, unsettling number with powerful chorus and some menacing, understated riffing (like 'The Illusionist,' there’s more than a touch of suspense film theme music here).
Live Until The Twilight is a worthy addition to the False Memories catalogue, but for those who would rather "be at," or see, the performance, the band have also released it as a full performance video on YouTube.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Kirk Fletcher – Heartache By The Pound
Any resemblance to the famous "Muscle Shoals sound" (including Shoals-styled horns) on the upbeat optimism of 'Shine a Light on Love,' the opening track of Kirk Fletcher’s new album Heartache By The Pound, isn’t just intentional, it’s the inevitable FAME Studios result of another great album from one of the most revered guitarists on the Blues planet.
Kirk Fletcher’s seventh studio album, the follow-up to highly acclaimed 2020 offering My Blues Pathway (2020), was produced by Fletcher across three days of session at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals in Alabama.
For the sessions Fletcher was joined by an all-star cast, including keys player Reese Wynans, drummer Terrence F. Clark and bassists Travis Carlton & Randy Bermudes.
That trumpeter Mark Pender, saxophonist Joe Sublett and acclaimed backing vocalist Jade MacRae also brought their talents to bear only adds to the purposeful, soulful (and Shoals-full) sound of the album.
All are to the fore on the soul-blues sway of lead-off single 'Afraid To Die, Too Scared To Live', which features some super-smooth blues licks from Kirk Fletcher (a disciple of the Less is More Blues Order).
The soul-sweet and summery title track follows a similar path, with an added dash of funkiness and a slightly gospel affected middle 8.
Lyrically the song conveys the message that, while we all suffer heartache, music and family are a sure cure for what ails ya (the song is inspired by Kirk Fletcher’s memories as a kid visiting family and hearing the music they played).
The mention of gospel also reflects on Fletcher’s vocal approach on Heartache By The Pound, which is, if not gospel in any preaching sense, certainly gospel in his soulful vocal readings from the religion of the blues. Yearning slow blues number 'The Night’s Calling,' a song that truly defines Kirk Fletcher, may be the best such example.
While half the songs are co-writes between Kirk Fletcher and his bass playing Buddy Richard Cousins (Robert Cray, Van Morrison) you’ll also find covers of Albert King’s 'I’ve Made Nights By Myself' and 'Wildcat Tamer' by Tarheel Slim. Here the latter is more honkytonk ‘n’ roll than Tarheel’s rockabilly styled original.
The album is also graced by a couple of numbers from Grammy award winning producer & songwriter Dennis Walker; the rhythm and funky blues of 'Wrong Kinda Love' and the contrasting, mid-tempo soul-blues of
'I Can’t Find No Love' (featuring some seriously tasty guitar lines over Reese Wynans Hammond blanket) are both highlights.
Kirk Fletcher’s own number 'Hope For Us,' which closes out the album, is the album highlight, however.
A questioning, what-will-the-future-bring slow-build blues (with some inventive drum work from Terrence F. Clark in the early going), 'Hope For Us' is Kirk Fletcher and his impassioned guitar at their most honest, and best.
FAME Studios has been graced by a veritable Who’s Who of luminary artists and bands including Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, the Rolling Stones and Otis Redding.
Kirk Fletcher is already in the Who’s Who of the blues; now he can add himself to the list of artists, including those above, who have delivered a Muscle Shoals winner.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Kirk Fletcher’s seventh studio album, the follow-up to highly acclaimed 2020 offering My Blues Pathway (2020), was produced by Fletcher across three days of session at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals in Alabama.
For the sessions Fletcher was joined by an all-star cast, including keys player Reese Wynans, drummer Terrence F. Clark and bassists Travis Carlton & Randy Bermudes.
That trumpeter Mark Pender, saxophonist Joe Sublett and acclaimed backing vocalist Jade MacRae also brought their talents to bear only adds to the purposeful, soulful (and Shoals-full) sound of the album.
All are to the fore on the soul-blues sway of lead-off single 'Afraid To Die, Too Scared To Live', which features some super-smooth blues licks from Kirk Fletcher (a disciple of the Less is More Blues Order).
The soul-sweet and summery title track follows a similar path, with an added dash of funkiness and a slightly gospel affected middle 8.
Lyrically the song conveys the message that, while we all suffer heartache, music and family are a sure cure for what ails ya (the song is inspired by Kirk Fletcher’s memories as a kid visiting family and hearing the music they played).
The mention of gospel also reflects on Fletcher’s vocal approach on Heartache By The Pound, which is, if not gospel in any preaching sense, certainly gospel in his soulful vocal readings from the religion of the blues. Yearning slow blues number 'The Night’s Calling,' a song that truly defines Kirk Fletcher, may be the best such example.
While half the songs are co-writes between Kirk Fletcher and his bass playing Buddy Richard Cousins (Robert Cray, Van Morrison) you’ll also find covers of Albert King’s 'I’ve Made Nights By Myself' and 'Wildcat Tamer' by Tarheel Slim. Here the latter is more honkytonk ‘n’ roll than Tarheel’s rockabilly styled original.
The album is also graced by a couple of numbers from Grammy award winning producer & songwriter Dennis Walker; the rhythm and funky blues of 'Wrong Kinda Love' and the contrasting, mid-tempo soul-blues of
'I Can’t Find No Love' (featuring some seriously tasty guitar lines over Reese Wynans Hammond blanket) are both highlights.
Kirk Fletcher’s own number 'Hope For Us,' which closes out the album, is the album highlight, however.
A questioning, what-will-the-future-bring slow-build blues (with some inventive drum work from Terrence F. Clark in the early going), 'Hope For Us' is Kirk Fletcher and his impassioned guitar at their most honest, and best.
FAME Studios has been graced by a veritable Who’s Who of luminary artists and bands including Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, the Rolling Stones and Otis Redding.
Kirk Fletcher is already in the Who’s Who of the blues; now he can add himself to the list of artists, including those above, who have delivered a Muscle Shoals winner.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Foxton & Hastings – The Butterfly Effect
Bruce Foxton has the best of both old and new musical worlds.
If you want the best sounding/ most authentic nod to revered mod-revivalists The Jam then From The Jam, featuring original Jamsters Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler alongside singer-guitarist Russell Hastings, is your official tribute of choice.
If you want new, melodically shaped material that spans a number of styles and genres (as well as being cleverly retro in places), then The Butterfly Effect, from Foxton & Hastings, may also be your album of choice.
It’s also the follow-up to Foxton & Hastings Smash The Clock album of 2016, itself something of a sequel to Bruce Foxton’s second solo album Back in the Room, co-written with, and featuring, Russell Hastings.
While Smash The Clock was suitably impressive (as one critic said, it might well be the best Jam album to not feature Paul Weller) The Butterfly Effect, which features Big Country drummer Mark Brzezicki on nine of the twelve songs, is an even stronger offering, delivering classy pop (with 60s and 70s appeal), a little country, Mod-ish tuneage, soul-pop, a touch of the psychedelic and, naturally, a splash of Jam.
It also comes with one of the most eye-catching and clever covers of the year – but then that’s the guitar strings and plectrums effect.
The album opens in wonderful 1-2 contrast with first, 'Electronic Lover,' which conjures an alternate musical reality where Paul Weller was a member of the Beatles in rock mode (Foxton delivers some thick and punchy bass lines while Hastings adds some nice, psychedelic tinged guitar licks).
Following track 'Feet Off the Ground' takes a much lighter and dreamier approach, sounding like it’s lifted straight from the funkier-pop of the mid-70s with plenty of keyboard embellishment. In short, a lovely song.
'Lula' is another lovely pop-outing; a mid-tempo number with plenty of sax appeal (courtesy of Tony "Rico" Richardson), the song also manages to be both retro and contemporary.
The jangle-pop of 'She Said' is another infectious feel-good winner, akin to The Byrds meeting the poppier side of the Beatles for a sing-song and a bit of mandolin plucking.
The ballad 'Wanted' allows Russell Hastings to come into his vocal own; he undeniably has vocal/ tonal similarities to Paul Weller (obviously more to the fore with From The Jam), but here his lightness of vocal touch complements the flute and piano backed arrangement of the number.
The Jam do however come (re)calling on 'Circles,' which has that Weller voice and Foxton bass sound in spades; the horns and Hammond backed soul-pop of the finger clicking & hand clapping 'Time On Your Side' has a little Jam on the side too, but more circa the band’s latter-day/ The Gift era.
The 60s inspired and dreamy psychedelia of 'Two of Us,' which has more than a hint of The Small Faces about it (no bad thing) sits its sha-la-la-la-la’ing atop a simple but highly effective repeating drum rhythm before the atmospheric, keyboard sprinkled 'Rain' offers quieter comfort from those that dampen our spirits.
The chamber orchestra arrangement of 'Too Old to Cry, Too Young to Die' beautifully fits the poignancy of a song that reflects on the passing of time (lovely, slightly melancholic song that it is, it’s greatest strength is the fact it’s delightfully uplifting in its "things are getting much better" lyricism).
The dreamy, soft-jazz of 'Walking With Me,' accompanied by raindrop keyboards and strings, plays soft sounding counterpoint to closing number 'Anything You Want,' an up-tempo feel-good celebration of brass, big beats, groovy Hammond backing and a musical hook that makes you believe it’s going to morph into 'Got to Get You Into My Life' mid-song.
The Butterfly Effect – It's Beautifully Affecting.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
If you want the best sounding/ most authentic nod to revered mod-revivalists The Jam then From The Jam, featuring original Jamsters Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler alongside singer-guitarist Russell Hastings, is your official tribute of choice.
If you want new, melodically shaped material that spans a number of styles and genres (as well as being cleverly retro in places), then The Butterfly Effect, from Foxton & Hastings, may also be your album of choice.
It’s also the follow-up to Foxton & Hastings Smash The Clock album of 2016, itself something of a sequel to Bruce Foxton’s second solo album Back in the Room, co-written with, and featuring, Russell Hastings.
While Smash The Clock was suitably impressive (as one critic said, it might well be the best Jam album to not feature Paul Weller) The Butterfly Effect, which features Big Country drummer Mark Brzezicki on nine of the twelve songs, is an even stronger offering, delivering classy pop (with 60s and 70s appeal), a little country, Mod-ish tuneage, soul-pop, a touch of the psychedelic and, naturally, a splash of Jam.
It also comes with one of the most eye-catching and clever covers of the year – but then that’s the guitar strings and plectrums effect.
The album opens in wonderful 1-2 contrast with first, 'Electronic Lover,' which conjures an alternate musical reality where Paul Weller was a member of the Beatles in rock mode (Foxton delivers some thick and punchy bass lines while Hastings adds some nice, psychedelic tinged guitar licks).
Following track 'Feet Off the Ground' takes a much lighter and dreamier approach, sounding like it’s lifted straight from the funkier-pop of the mid-70s with plenty of keyboard embellishment. In short, a lovely song.
'Lula' is another lovely pop-outing; a mid-tempo number with plenty of sax appeal (courtesy of Tony "Rico" Richardson), the song also manages to be both retro and contemporary.
The jangle-pop of 'She Said' is another infectious feel-good winner, akin to The Byrds meeting the poppier side of the Beatles for a sing-song and a bit of mandolin plucking.
The ballad 'Wanted' allows Russell Hastings to come into his vocal own; he undeniably has vocal/ tonal similarities to Paul Weller (obviously more to the fore with From The Jam), but here his lightness of vocal touch complements the flute and piano backed arrangement of the number.
The Jam do however come (re)calling on 'Circles,' which has that Weller voice and Foxton bass sound in spades; the horns and Hammond backed soul-pop of the finger clicking & hand clapping 'Time On Your Side' has a little Jam on the side too, but more circa the band’s latter-day/ The Gift era.
The 60s inspired and dreamy psychedelia of 'Two of Us,' which has more than a hint of The Small Faces about it (no bad thing) sits its sha-la-la-la-la’ing atop a simple but highly effective repeating drum rhythm before the atmospheric, keyboard sprinkled 'Rain' offers quieter comfort from those that dampen our spirits.
The chamber orchestra arrangement of 'Too Old to Cry, Too Young to Die' beautifully fits the poignancy of a song that reflects on the passing of time (lovely, slightly melancholic song that it is, it’s greatest strength is the fact it’s delightfully uplifting in its "things are getting much better" lyricism).
The dreamy, soft-jazz of 'Walking With Me,' accompanied by raindrop keyboards and strings, plays soft sounding counterpoint to closing number 'Anything You Want,' an up-tempo feel-good celebration of brass, big beats, groovy Hammond backing and a musical hook that makes you believe it’s going to morph into 'Got to Get You Into My Life' mid-song.
The Butterfly Effect – It's Beautifully Affecting.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Eric Gales – Crown
That Eric Gales is an extreme talent is not in question (this is a musician who released his debut album when just 16 years of age).
Three decades and some eighteen albums later Eric Gales is still a talent – a much more finely honed one through musical growth and real life experiences – but he’s never truly delivered "that" album (live is a different story where he continues to charismatically and musically shine like few others).
Whether Crown is "that" album is open to debate but the Joe Bonamassa produced offering is unarguably one of his best studio outings to date, one that lyrically touches on the autobiographical (struggles with substance abuse, new found sobriety, racism) and musically covers pretty much every blues base.
The swaggering and lyrically autobiographical 'Death of Me' opens with EG stating "My name is Eric Gales, any questions?" before leading into a killer heavy-blues ascending riff.
Featuring a memorable chorus (with female backing vocals) the song drops to a middle 8 before building to a bravura solo.
Following number "The Storm" starts with an acapella vocal before settling into a mid-tempo blues complete with Memphis-style horns (the kind of number from which Robert Cray made a career); Eric Gales contributes a clean guitar solo which builds towards a flurry of notes.
'Had to Dip' is a 30 second blues shuffle segue into the distinctly funky 'I Want My Crown' during which Eric Gales sings braggadocio style about his guitar playing skills. The number also includes a guitar face off with modern day blues king Joe Bonamassa (hence the title).
'Stand Up' sees Eric Gales in more reflective mood on this superior soul ballad, which suits his vocal style. The tasteful guitar solo also shines as it’s all about lightness of touch and not speed driven, a failing of Gales in the past (the words "blues" and "shredder" should seldom (the Blues purists would say never) be seen or heard together).
The mid-tempo (and again autobiographical) 'Survivor' sits upon a fiery half time riff before switching to an unexpected but effective melodic chorus. There are also echoes of Hendrix here (particularly with the guitar sound) but toward the end Eric Gales drops back in to the habit of seemingly trying to impress with speed alone, detracting from the song’s musical and lyrical tone.
'You Don’t Know the Blues' is a mid-tempo groover that features tasteful keyboards and a more reserved and tasty Eric Gales solo before sixty blues shredding seconds entitled 'Rattlin’ Change' makes an unnecessary appearance.
A true highlight follows however in the shape of seven-minute slow burner 'Too Close to the Fire,' a superbly delivered Hendrix influenced number with, intentional or otherwise, references to 'Little Wing' and 'Power of Love' (and where faster, feistier playing is tempered by emotive delivery).
'Put That Back' delivers plenty of funk appeal before 'Take Me As I Am' (featuring Ladonna Gales on lead vocals) struts its 70s "soul sista" and blaring horns stuff.
The final interlude track (the bluesy 'Cupcakin’') then gives way to 'Let Me Start With This,' which returns the funk to proceedings.
The bluesiest track on the album, 'I Found Her,' then plays out its near seven minutes in delightful and delicate fashion (that it also carries a Parisienne vibe only adds to its charm) before building on an impassioned guitar solo from Eric Gales.
'My Own Best Friend' employs a soft, bluesy and soulful touch that complements the self-reflecting getting-to-know-myself lyricism before Crown ends on 'I Gotta Go,' a bouncy, jump-jive blues meets spoken narrative on the fun of playing to a live audience (and guaranteed set closer).
Unlike the title, Eric Gales doesn’t quite deserve a coronation, but Crown certainly moves him up the ranks of blues royalty.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Three decades and some eighteen albums later Eric Gales is still a talent – a much more finely honed one through musical growth and real life experiences – but he’s never truly delivered "that" album (live is a different story where he continues to charismatically and musically shine like few others).
Whether Crown is "that" album is open to debate but the Joe Bonamassa produced offering is unarguably one of his best studio outings to date, one that lyrically touches on the autobiographical (struggles with substance abuse, new found sobriety, racism) and musically covers pretty much every blues base.
The swaggering and lyrically autobiographical 'Death of Me' opens with EG stating "My name is Eric Gales, any questions?" before leading into a killer heavy-blues ascending riff.
Featuring a memorable chorus (with female backing vocals) the song drops to a middle 8 before building to a bravura solo.
Following number "The Storm" starts with an acapella vocal before settling into a mid-tempo blues complete with Memphis-style horns (the kind of number from which Robert Cray made a career); Eric Gales contributes a clean guitar solo which builds towards a flurry of notes.
'Had to Dip' is a 30 second blues shuffle segue into the distinctly funky 'I Want My Crown' during which Eric Gales sings braggadocio style about his guitar playing skills. The number also includes a guitar face off with modern day blues king Joe Bonamassa (hence the title).
'Stand Up' sees Eric Gales in more reflective mood on this superior soul ballad, which suits his vocal style. The tasteful guitar solo also shines as it’s all about lightness of touch and not speed driven, a failing of Gales in the past (the words "blues" and "shredder" should seldom (the Blues purists would say never) be seen or heard together).
The mid-tempo (and again autobiographical) 'Survivor' sits upon a fiery half time riff before switching to an unexpected but effective melodic chorus. There are also echoes of Hendrix here (particularly with the guitar sound) but toward the end Eric Gales drops back in to the habit of seemingly trying to impress with speed alone, detracting from the song’s musical and lyrical tone.
'You Don’t Know the Blues' is a mid-tempo groover that features tasteful keyboards and a more reserved and tasty Eric Gales solo before sixty blues shredding seconds entitled 'Rattlin’ Change' makes an unnecessary appearance.
A true highlight follows however in the shape of seven-minute slow burner 'Too Close to the Fire,' a superbly delivered Hendrix influenced number with, intentional or otherwise, references to 'Little Wing' and 'Power of Love' (and where faster, feistier playing is tempered by emotive delivery).
'Put That Back' delivers plenty of funk appeal before 'Take Me As I Am' (featuring Ladonna Gales on lead vocals) struts its 70s "soul sista" and blaring horns stuff.
The final interlude track (the bluesy 'Cupcakin’') then gives way to 'Let Me Start With This,' which returns the funk to proceedings.
The bluesiest track on the album, 'I Found Her,' then plays out its near seven minutes in delightful and delicate fashion (that it also carries a Parisienne vibe only adds to its charm) before building on an impassioned guitar solo from Eric Gales.
'My Own Best Friend' employs a soft, bluesy and soulful touch that complements the self-reflecting getting-to-know-myself lyricism before Crown ends on 'I Gotta Go,' a bouncy, jump-jive blues meets spoken narrative on the fun of playing to a live audience (and guaranteed set closer).
Unlike the title, Eric Gales doesn’t quite deserve a coronation, but Crown certainly moves him up the ranks of blues royalty.
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Beth Hart – A Tribute To Led Zeppelin
Covers projects, especially tribute albums, are the marmite of rock and roll – for every fan who wants to hear their favourite artists take on a classic track or ten there’s another who could care less, more than happy to keep faithful to the originals.
Then there’s bands like Led Zeppelin, covered or paid tribute to in uncountable numbers with as many successful homages as major should-have-left-it-well-alone fails.
Beth Hart, therefore, isn’t the first to take on Robert Plant at his own vocal game but she’s one of the few that can justify doing so, given her powerhouse vocals and ability to lift from no more than a whisper to a full blown, blues-soaked bellow.
She was also the perfect vocal choice for noted producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance) and engineer Doug McKean, who had been thinking about a Zeppelin tribute project for some time.
When Cavallo heard Beth Hart do an impromptu version of 'Whole Lotta Love' while producing Hart’s previous album, War In My Mind, he knew he had the voice and blues rock soul to do the concept justice (the song has become a semi-regular set-list choice in Beth Hart shows over the years, including a memorable performance with Slash).
No surprise then that 'Whole Lotta Love' opens this nine track tribute, featuring Beth Hart’s cut glass and bourbon vibrato and a top-team of musicians including Rob Cavallo and Tim Pierce (Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner) on guitars, bassist Chris Chaney (Rob Zombie, Slash); keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac (Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones) and drummer Dorian Crozier (Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus, Joe Cocker).
The Zepp classics continue with 'Kashmir' (bolstered by a great orchestral arrangement by David Campbell, who contributes same to a number of the songs) and 'Stairway to Heaven.'
The former, featuring some great raw and bluesy vocality, is highly impacting; the latter however should probably never be covered (unless you are Heart and Ann Wilson, the exceptional performance to the rule).
That said this more understated and bluesier voiced arrangement of 'Stairway' works well enough, before kicking up a gear with Matt Laug (Alanis Morissette, Alice Cooper) behind the kit.
The real highlights are the deeper cuts and/ or the clever (re)arrangements employed.
'The Crunge' for example, much like the original, funks the Led right out yer Zeppelin but here even more so, with pronounced synth splashes and Beth Hart giving it the full James Brown (listen out too for Hart’s Joplin styled take on the classic "confounded bridge!" outro line).
Then there’s the two medleys, both of which are perfectly tailored to their clever segueing and Beth Hart’s voice – 'Dancing Days' swings while 'When the Levee Breaks' swaggers, before said Levee breaks back in to a reprise of the former; even more impressive is the bluesier rock shades applied to the 'No Quarter'/ 'Babe I’m Gonna Leave You' medley.
Elsewhere the orchestra backed 'Black Dog,' with Beth Hart’s voice firmly 'Plant'ed in the roots of the original, rocks like the proverbial while the similarly orchestrated 'Good Times Bad Times,' with "In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a woman" lyrical switch, takes on a whole new lease of girl powered, blues rock life.
The album closes with a wonderfully orchestrated rendition of 'The Rain Song,' which features not just Beth Hart’s best vocal of the album but one of her most reflective and expressive.
By their very nature tribute albums to Led Zeppelin aren’t truly necessary nor essential, but it was essential Beth Hart took on, and delivered, just such a project.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Then there’s bands like Led Zeppelin, covered or paid tribute to in uncountable numbers with as many successful homages as major should-have-left-it-well-alone fails.
Beth Hart, therefore, isn’t the first to take on Robert Plant at his own vocal game but she’s one of the few that can justify doing so, given her powerhouse vocals and ability to lift from no more than a whisper to a full blown, blues-soaked bellow.
She was also the perfect vocal choice for noted producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance) and engineer Doug McKean, who had been thinking about a Zeppelin tribute project for some time.
When Cavallo heard Beth Hart do an impromptu version of 'Whole Lotta Love' while producing Hart’s previous album, War In My Mind, he knew he had the voice and blues rock soul to do the concept justice (the song has become a semi-regular set-list choice in Beth Hart shows over the years, including a memorable performance with Slash).
No surprise then that 'Whole Lotta Love' opens this nine track tribute, featuring Beth Hart’s cut glass and bourbon vibrato and a top-team of musicians including Rob Cavallo and Tim Pierce (Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner) on guitars, bassist Chris Chaney (Rob Zombie, Slash); keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac (Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones) and drummer Dorian Crozier (Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus, Joe Cocker).
The Zepp classics continue with 'Kashmir' (bolstered by a great orchestral arrangement by David Campbell, who contributes same to a number of the songs) and 'Stairway to Heaven.'
The former, featuring some great raw and bluesy vocality, is highly impacting; the latter however should probably never be covered (unless you are Heart and Ann Wilson, the exceptional performance to the rule).
That said this more understated and bluesier voiced arrangement of 'Stairway' works well enough, before kicking up a gear with Matt Laug (Alanis Morissette, Alice Cooper) behind the kit.
The real highlights are the deeper cuts and/ or the clever (re)arrangements employed.
'The Crunge' for example, much like the original, funks the Led right out yer Zeppelin but here even more so, with pronounced synth splashes and Beth Hart giving it the full James Brown (listen out too for Hart’s Joplin styled take on the classic "confounded bridge!" outro line).
Then there’s the two medleys, both of which are perfectly tailored to their clever segueing and Beth Hart’s voice – 'Dancing Days' swings while 'When the Levee Breaks' swaggers, before said Levee breaks back in to a reprise of the former; even more impressive is the bluesier rock shades applied to the 'No Quarter'/ 'Babe I’m Gonna Leave You' medley.
Elsewhere the orchestra backed 'Black Dog,' with Beth Hart’s voice firmly 'Plant'ed in the roots of the original, rocks like the proverbial while the similarly orchestrated 'Good Times Bad Times,' with "In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a woman" lyrical switch, takes on a whole new lease of girl powered, blues rock life.
The album closes with a wonderfully orchestrated rendition of 'The Rain Song,' which features not just Beth Hart’s best vocal of the album but one of her most reflective and expressive.
By their very nature tribute albums to Led Zeppelin aren’t truly necessary nor essential, but it was essential Beth Hart took on, and delivered, just such a project.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
High Pulp – Pursuit of Ends
Seattle based instrumental jazz-collective High Pulp have followed up 2018’s full-length debut Bad Juice (and a subsequent three-volume set of EP’s) with second album, Pursuit of Ends.
Featuring Antoine Martel (keys); Victory Nguyen (sax, flute, trumpet), Andrew Morrill (sax), Bobby Granfelt (drums, percussion), Rob Homan (keys), Kaeli Earle (bass) & Trevor Eulau (guitar), Pursuit of Ends also showcases the guest/ collaborating talents of saxophonist Jaleel Shaw (Roy Haynes, Mingus Big Band), harpist Brandee Younger (Ravi Coltrane, The Roots), trumpeter Theo Coker and keyboardist Jacob Mann (Rufus Wainwright, Louis Cole).
The results are a sound akin to a more anarchic and highly percussive Snarky Puppy with a side-order of Zappa and Miles Davis (Bobby Granfelt is a clear driving force with insistent rhythms rooted in a combination of trip-hop, acid jazz and chill-out).
Jazz and be-bop influences are also evident with horns taking most of the melodic and lead work whilst the two keys players and guitarist largely provide pads rhythmic parts and soundscapes.
'Ceremony' kicks the album off and we are immediately in Pat Metheny meets Snarky Puppy territory.
A meandering piece which requires more than one listen, the breakdown ushers in a very proficient sax solo followed by a brief drum solo before returning to the theme.
'All Roads Lead to Los Angeles' features Jaleel Shaw on saxophone; anyone who appreciates that instrument will definitely want to listen in here as there is a dazzling mid-section solo. More insistent drumming by Bobby Granfelt threatens to overwhelm proceedings but Shaw’s sax part alone is worth the admission fee.
'Blaming Mercury' drops the intensity of both tempo and drum parts whilst employing some dissonant sax.
Following number 'Window to a Shimmering World' is more melodic and satisfying, although still very much experimental (the free-form sax at the tail end of the song somewhat ruins the mood however).
'Chemical X' has an interesting brass section arrangement taking on melodic duties over the top of an initially driving bass line; the baton is then handed to Trevor Eulau who contributes a very tasteful guitar solo (it’s slightly disappointing that Eulau doesn’t get more chances to shine on this album).
'A Ring On Each Finger' starts with something akin to a fanfare before settling into a laid back, ‘trip-hoppy’ jazz vibe complete with flute; the one failing is the drum part toward the end, which is somewhat obtrusive.
'Kamishinjo' (featuring Jacob Mann on keys) includes a lovely and unexpected chord sequence. Mann’s synth solo is full of well-chosen notes while the horn arrangement at the end is an intentional nod to David Axelrod (one of the band’s biggest influences). An album highlight.
Short interlude piece 'Inner Crooner' utilises trumpet as the main melody instrument before saxophone accompanies in parts of the B section.
Following number 'Wax Hands,' featuring Brandee Younger on harp, has a repetitive figure played by part of the brass section and a melody part by another; add in another insistent, busy drum beat and the flurries of harp notes and you have a number that lacks cohesion (there’s just too much going on).
Closing number ‘You’ve Got To Pull It Up From The Ground (featuring trumpeter Theo Croker) opens with an extended and incongruous drum/ percussion workout before settling into a smoky jazz club feel (Croker playing off the band to good effect). Proceedings are interrupted by more incongruity on the drums before settling back into a groove.
Pursuit of Ends has to be listened to a number of times to catch the hidden depths but there are also occasions where the band become too free-form at the expense of cohesion (yes, this is a collective that is experimental in nature, but not all experiments are successful).
But this is a more than capable collective – if more emphasis was put into songwriting than sometimes just displaying very talented chops, they may well deliver a great album and not one offering High Pulp promise.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Featuring Antoine Martel (keys); Victory Nguyen (sax, flute, trumpet), Andrew Morrill (sax), Bobby Granfelt (drums, percussion), Rob Homan (keys), Kaeli Earle (bass) & Trevor Eulau (guitar), Pursuit of Ends also showcases the guest/ collaborating talents of saxophonist Jaleel Shaw (Roy Haynes, Mingus Big Band), harpist Brandee Younger (Ravi Coltrane, The Roots), trumpeter Theo Coker and keyboardist Jacob Mann (Rufus Wainwright, Louis Cole).
The results are a sound akin to a more anarchic and highly percussive Snarky Puppy with a side-order of Zappa and Miles Davis (Bobby Granfelt is a clear driving force with insistent rhythms rooted in a combination of trip-hop, acid jazz and chill-out).
Jazz and be-bop influences are also evident with horns taking most of the melodic and lead work whilst the two keys players and guitarist largely provide pads rhythmic parts and soundscapes.
'Ceremony' kicks the album off and we are immediately in Pat Metheny meets Snarky Puppy territory.
A meandering piece which requires more than one listen, the breakdown ushers in a very proficient sax solo followed by a brief drum solo before returning to the theme.
'All Roads Lead to Los Angeles' features Jaleel Shaw on saxophone; anyone who appreciates that instrument will definitely want to listen in here as there is a dazzling mid-section solo. More insistent drumming by Bobby Granfelt threatens to overwhelm proceedings but Shaw’s sax part alone is worth the admission fee.
'Blaming Mercury' drops the intensity of both tempo and drum parts whilst employing some dissonant sax.
Following number 'Window to a Shimmering World' is more melodic and satisfying, although still very much experimental (the free-form sax at the tail end of the song somewhat ruins the mood however).
'Chemical X' has an interesting brass section arrangement taking on melodic duties over the top of an initially driving bass line; the baton is then handed to Trevor Eulau who contributes a very tasteful guitar solo (it’s slightly disappointing that Eulau doesn’t get more chances to shine on this album).
'A Ring On Each Finger' starts with something akin to a fanfare before settling into a laid back, ‘trip-hoppy’ jazz vibe complete with flute; the one failing is the drum part toward the end, which is somewhat obtrusive.
'Kamishinjo' (featuring Jacob Mann on keys) includes a lovely and unexpected chord sequence. Mann’s synth solo is full of well-chosen notes while the horn arrangement at the end is an intentional nod to David Axelrod (one of the band’s biggest influences). An album highlight.
Short interlude piece 'Inner Crooner' utilises trumpet as the main melody instrument before saxophone accompanies in parts of the B section.
Following number 'Wax Hands,' featuring Brandee Younger on harp, has a repetitive figure played by part of the brass section and a melody part by another; add in another insistent, busy drum beat and the flurries of harp notes and you have a number that lacks cohesion (there’s just too much going on).
Closing number ‘You’ve Got To Pull It Up From The Ground (featuring trumpeter Theo Croker) opens with an extended and incongruous drum/ percussion workout before settling into a smoky jazz club feel (Croker playing off the band to good effect). Proceedings are interrupted by more incongruity on the drums before settling back into a groove.
Pursuit of Ends has to be listened to a number of times to catch the hidden depths but there are also occasions where the band become too free-form at the expense of cohesion (yes, this is a collective that is experimental in nature, but not all experiments are successful).
But this is a more than capable collective – if more emphasis was put into songwriting than sometimes just displaying very talented chops, they may well deliver a great album and not one offering High Pulp promise.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Hillbilly Vegas - The Great Southern Hustle
As the name of this Oklahoma band suggests, there’s a mixture of outlaw/ southern/ rockabilly country and a touch of Vegas to be had, and heard, from the music of Steve Harris (lead vocals, guitar), Stacy Thornburg (guitars, vocals), Johnny Reed (guitars, vocals), Heath Molton (bass, vocals), Troy Hollinger (drums) and, on a number of the tracks, Andy Wise (backing vocals).
That this particular release seems even more song-diversified than one would might expect from Hillbilly Vegas is because it’s a catch-all collection – The Great Southern Hustle features both new songs and HV nuggets of the last decade (for example most of the songs from the band’s ’76 EP, released in 2016, make an appearance here).
Far more importantly however, it’s a great album from a great, fun band, from the southern slanted, organ backed and ‘come hither’ lyric of 'High Time For a Good Time,' which opens the collection, to the marching hoedown rock meets Vegas (natch) arrangement given to Johnny Cash’s 'Ring Of Fire' twelve songs and forty minutes later.
Between those excellent but very different bookends you’ll find every facet of the Hillbilly Vegas sound, from the southern-folk guitar jangle of 'Just Say You Love Me' and Nashville-rockabilly number 'Livin’ Loud,' to the fast driving southern rock ‘n’ roll of 'Hell To Pay' and charming ballad 'Little Miss Rough and Tumble' (one for the fathers of daughters who are “growing up way too fast”).
Then there’s the pseudo-funky southern fun of 'Let’s Get Together' (preceded by the rhythmic and organ-led instrumental 'I-Tsu-La') and 'Losin’ To Win,' a one-too-many-drinks country ballad ("'Lord Help Me Jesus’ was written for me, my sinner’s prayer, a lonely soul’s plea").
More up-tempo fun comes by way of law and order boogie number 'Two Gun Town' ("I’m hero and enemy, the thin blue line, I’ll lay down my life for both yours and mine…") and the perfectly named, lyrical calling card that is 'Shake it Like a Hillbilly' ("Raise a toast to who we are, we're champagne baby in a mason jar, touch of Vegas with a hillbilly twing!")
The album (along with recent digital EP Greetings From Hillbilly Vegas) also, initially, acted as a dovetailing tie-in to the band’s first ever live appearance in the UK (an exclusive acoustic set at the famous Troubadour in London).
That introductory UK show and The Great Southern Hustle are also significant in that, having already raised their profile to that of festival headliners in the US (and a number of Billboard Top 20 Rock singles), Hillbilly Vegas are hoping to country-boogie and outlaw rock their way through a number of festivals in the UK & Europe next Summer.
And should that be a festival near you, grab a moonshine still and get your Southern Hustle on.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That this particular release seems even more song-diversified than one would might expect from Hillbilly Vegas is because it’s a catch-all collection – The Great Southern Hustle features both new songs and HV nuggets of the last decade (for example most of the songs from the band’s ’76 EP, released in 2016, make an appearance here).
Far more importantly however, it’s a great album from a great, fun band, from the southern slanted, organ backed and ‘come hither’ lyric of 'High Time For a Good Time,' which opens the collection, to the marching hoedown rock meets Vegas (natch) arrangement given to Johnny Cash’s 'Ring Of Fire' twelve songs and forty minutes later.
Between those excellent but very different bookends you’ll find every facet of the Hillbilly Vegas sound, from the southern-folk guitar jangle of 'Just Say You Love Me' and Nashville-rockabilly number 'Livin’ Loud,' to the fast driving southern rock ‘n’ roll of 'Hell To Pay' and charming ballad 'Little Miss Rough and Tumble' (one for the fathers of daughters who are “growing up way too fast”).
Then there’s the pseudo-funky southern fun of 'Let’s Get Together' (preceded by the rhythmic and organ-led instrumental 'I-Tsu-La') and 'Losin’ To Win,' a one-too-many-drinks country ballad ("'Lord Help Me Jesus’ was written for me, my sinner’s prayer, a lonely soul’s plea").
More up-tempo fun comes by way of law and order boogie number 'Two Gun Town' ("I’m hero and enemy, the thin blue line, I’ll lay down my life for both yours and mine…") and the perfectly named, lyrical calling card that is 'Shake it Like a Hillbilly' ("Raise a toast to who we are, we're champagne baby in a mason jar, touch of Vegas with a hillbilly twing!")
The album (along with recent digital EP Greetings From Hillbilly Vegas) also, initially, acted as a dovetailing tie-in to the band’s first ever live appearance in the UK (an exclusive acoustic set at the famous Troubadour in London).
That introductory UK show and The Great Southern Hustle are also significant in that, having already raised their profile to that of festival headliners in the US (and a number of Billboard Top 20 Rock singles), Hillbilly Vegas are hoping to country-boogie and outlaw rock their way through a number of festivals in the UK & Europe next Summer.
And should that be a festival near you, grab a moonshine still and get your Southern Hustle on.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
HOROJO Trio – Set the Record
Fortuitous circumstance, musical fate, right place right time, a little bit of luck… such are the elements that sometimes come into play to kick start a fruitful, if unexpected, musical union.
All the above played a part in the formation of a new, high-calibre Ottawa based trio featuring Canadian blues alumni Jamie Holmes (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Jeff Rogers (vocals, keys, keyboard bass) and JW-Jones (guitars, backing vocals) who, collectively (and by utilising the first two letters of their surnames) are HOROJO.
A trio with a clear chemistry and musical simpatico (and bags of old-school panache), Messrs Holmes, Rogers & Jones (the latter no stranger to the UK & Europe as a solo artist) came together from a chance jam session after a corporate event that was so inspired it left both audience and musicians wanting more – proof of their collective talents was then underlined by winning the 2020 International Blues Challenge (representing the Ottawa Blues Society).
That’s not too shabby a start.
A successful pledge funding campaign (the band at this juncture were fully independent) allowed for the completion of the debut album; icing was added to their rhythm and soul blues cake when the band were subsequently signed to Stony Plain Records.
The results are Set the Record (with dovetailing Hi-Fi record cover), which one can only hope will lead to further HOROJO sightings down the Canadian roads (and hopefully beyond their own borders) and not just an unexpected but splendidly crafted one-off album.
The aforementioned simpatico and chemistry is evident from the get-go via the piano tinkling rock and guitar-licks roll fun of opener 'Man Of Steel' and following number, the soul-groove swing of 'A Little Goes a Long Way,' where guest player Steve Strongman adds some acoustic guitar (Strongman and fellow Canadian musician Dick Cooper also contributed to the songwriting).
'Set the Record Straight' (which could be also be a record straight out the 70s soul-book) then employs a little funk within its soulful groove to add yet another HOROJO sprinkle.
The tempo is then dropped by, first, 'Stay Crazy' (a smooth soul-blues that mourns for those who just swim along with the stream while celebrating those of us able to "stay crazy") before the rich voiced Jeff Rogers’ crooner vocal (with complementary guitar remarks from JW-Jones) comes to the fore on 'The Night.'
The latter is a tasteful piano and blues guitar led number for those who live for the midnight blues ("we only come out when the sun goes down…" ), complete with well-conceived tempo-change finale.
Contrast is then provided by 'Hard as I Can' (a cracking little three-and-a-half minute slice of 60s beat soul-pop) before the more modern sounding and tempo-changing 'Running' takes centre stage (complete with a tasty solo from JW-Jones).
'Ragman’s Blues' offers up the album’s quirkiest and fun-time moment, both musically and lyrically ("sometimes I walk around the house stark naked, answering the door with a grin…") while the rhythm and decidedly bluesy 'Give and Take' is another percussively grooved, piano & organ fuelled winner.
There’s more rhythm and blues to be heard on 'Something You Should Know,' where Jamie Holmes really shines, before the album closes – or rather rocks – out with 'Real Deal' (again incorporating clever mid-song tempo-change), which it, and the HOROJO Trio, most assuredly are.
Say Hello to the HOROJO Trio; they’ll reply with a welcoming 43 minutes and 11 songs of fresh sounding, old-school rhythm and soul blues – Canuck style, eh?.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
All the above played a part in the formation of a new, high-calibre Ottawa based trio featuring Canadian blues alumni Jamie Holmes (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Jeff Rogers (vocals, keys, keyboard bass) and JW-Jones (guitars, backing vocals) who, collectively (and by utilising the first two letters of their surnames) are HOROJO.
A trio with a clear chemistry and musical simpatico (and bags of old-school panache), Messrs Holmes, Rogers & Jones (the latter no stranger to the UK & Europe as a solo artist) came together from a chance jam session after a corporate event that was so inspired it left both audience and musicians wanting more – proof of their collective talents was then underlined by winning the 2020 International Blues Challenge (representing the Ottawa Blues Society).
That’s not too shabby a start.
A successful pledge funding campaign (the band at this juncture were fully independent) allowed for the completion of the debut album; icing was added to their rhythm and soul blues cake when the band were subsequently signed to Stony Plain Records.
The results are Set the Record (with dovetailing Hi-Fi record cover), which one can only hope will lead to further HOROJO sightings down the Canadian roads (and hopefully beyond their own borders) and not just an unexpected but splendidly crafted one-off album.
The aforementioned simpatico and chemistry is evident from the get-go via the piano tinkling rock and guitar-licks roll fun of opener 'Man Of Steel' and following number, the soul-groove swing of 'A Little Goes a Long Way,' where guest player Steve Strongman adds some acoustic guitar (Strongman and fellow Canadian musician Dick Cooper also contributed to the songwriting).
'Set the Record Straight' (which could be also be a record straight out the 70s soul-book) then employs a little funk within its soulful groove to add yet another HOROJO sprinkle.
The tempo is then dropped by, first, 'Stay Crazy' (a smooth soul-blues that mourns for those who just swim along with the stream while celebrating those of us able to "stay crazy") before the rich voiced Jeff Rogers’ crooner vocal (with complementary guitar remarks from JW-Jones) comes to the fore on 'The Night.'
The latter is a tasteful piano and blues guitar led number for those who live for the midnight blues ("we only come out when the sun goes down…" ), complete with well-conceived tempo-change finale.
Contrast is then provided by 'Hard as I Can' (a cracking little three-and-a-half minute slice of 60s beat soul-pop) before the more modern sounding and tempo-changing 'Running' takes centre stage (complete with a tasty solo from JW-Jones).
'Ragman’s Blues' offers up the album’s quirkiest and fun-time moment, both musically and lyrically ("sometimes I walk around the house stark naked, answering the door with a grin…") while the rhythm and decidedly bluesy 'Give and Take' is another percussively grooved, piano & organ fuelled winner.
There’s more rhythm and blues to be heard on 'Something You Should Know,' where Jamie Holmes really shines, before the album closes – or rather rocks – out with 'Real Deal' (again incorporating clever mid-song tempo-change), which it, and the HOROJO Trio, most assuredly are.
Say Hello to the HOROJO Trio; they’ll reply with a welcoming 43 minutes and 11 songs of fresh sounding, old-school rhythm and soul blues – Canuck style, eh?.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Jack J Hutchinson – The Hammer Falls
In promotional pre-release press for latest album The Hammer Falls, blues-rock singer-songwriter-guitarist Jack J Hutchinson informed that this new offering contains "the heaviest music I have ever written… it’s hard hitting, rammed with heavy riffs and guitar solos, but with lyrics and melodies that will hopefully touch and move people. It’s a banger!"
It’s a banger indeed, as heard right from the get-go on opening number 'Straight to Hell.'
Bolting out the Momentum Studio doors in Devon and heading straight for the gates of Hades on a galloping riff 'n' rhythm combo (the latter courtesy of bassist Lazarus Michaelides and big-beat drummer Filipe Amorim), 'Straight to Hell' is bolstered by a guitar sound as thick and sharp as ol’ Beelzebub’s horns.
The song also offers up light and shade, with a more melodic set of verses setting up a return to the song’s opening refrain.
There’s no time to draw breath before the punky-vibe’d title track rattles across its lean and mean four-and-a-half-minutes, complete with a seriously feisty guitar solo.
'The Hammer Falls' carries a lyrical theme of facing adversity and the bigger, darker picture ("the world can bring you down, but there’s time to turn it round… heed the call... the hammer falls!"); while the song, and indeed the album cover, would seem to emphasise such a warning, many of the tracks carry personal lyricism as well as themes of mortality and loss.
'Down by the River' is a grungier but no less weighty offering, with Jack J Hutchinson’s vocal at its most dry and rasping; the second half of the song switches to a pacier, riff-led romp before the grunge-chorus finale.
That forceful 1-2-3 opening salvo is then tempered by the slower and atmospheric 'Angel of Death,' which balances melody with shorter power-riff sections and a fittingly emotive guitar solo.
The upbeat 'Halo' returns to the big-beat and nifty riff template but here adds heavy-pop undertones, simple but highly effective hook chorus and equally effective vocal backing layers.
'Call of the Wild' then drops the tempo but not the blues-rock grit; its simple beat belies what is a deceptively powerful piece with a big, melodic chorus.
'Gunslinger' and 'The Ravens Crow' are two of the grittier numbers on The Hammer Falls.
The former, built atop an incessant beat, sports a huge chorus melody while the latter is a darker, rock-metal offering featuring some from-the-crypt vocal treatments and Sabbath-esque doom guitar moments.
The tempo-shifting 'What Doesn’t Kill You (Only Makes You Stronger)' carries contemporary rock-metal leanings within its dirty-blues rock framework; it also highlights just how big and energy-laden the sound of this album is (most of the songs were tracked live while the bristling sonics come courtesy of a
co-production with Josh Norton-Cox, a guitars-up-front mix from Josiah J Manning and mastering by Grammy award winning Stardelta).
'World On Fire,' a sinewy riff-driven number that emphasises the Jack J Hutchinson power trio sound, closes out the latest offering from Hutchinson and his band, which is as heavy and hard-hitting as the London based musician suggests.
The Hammer Falls, the reverberating impact is heard.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
It’s a banger indeed, as heard right from the get-go on opening number 'Straight to Hell.'
Bolting out the Momentum Studio doors in Devon and heading straight for the gates of Hades on a galloping riff 'n' rhythm combo (the latter courtesy of bassist Lazarus Michaelides and big-beat drummer Filipe Amorim), 'Straight to Hell' is bolstered by a guitar sound as thick and sharp as ol’ Beelzebub’s horns.
The song also offers up light and shade, with a more melodic set of verses setting up a return to the song’s opening refrain.
There’s no time to draw breath before the punky-vibe’d title track rattles across its lean and mean four-and-a-half-minutes, complete with a seriously feisty guitar solo.
'The Hammer Falls' carries a lyrical theme of facing adversity and the bigger, darker picture ("the world can bring you down, but there’s time to turn it round… heed the call... the hammer falls!"); while the song, and indeed the album cover, would seem to emphasise such a warning, many of the tracks carry personal lyricism as well as themes of mortality and loss.
'Down by the River' is a grungier but no less weighty offering, with Jack J Hutchinson’s vocal at its most dry and rasping; the second half of the song switches to a pacier, riff-led romp before the grunge-chorus finale.
That forceful 1-2-3 opening salvo is then tempered by the slower and atmospheric 'Angel of Death,' which balances melody with shorter power-riff sections and a fittingly emotive guitar solo.
The upbeat 'Halo' returns to the big-beat and nifty riff template but here adds heavy-pop undertones, simple but highly effective hook chorus and equally effective vocal backing layers.
'Call of the Wild' then drops the tempo but not the blues-rock grit; its simple beat belies what is a deceptively powerful piece with a big, melodic chorus.
'Gunslinger' and 'The Ravens Crow' are two of the grittier numbers on The Hammer Falls.
The former, built atop an incessant beat, sports a huge chorus melody while the latter is a darker, rock-metal offering featuring some from-the-crypt vocal treatments and Sabbath-esque doom guitar moments.
The tempo-shifting 'What Doesn’t Kill You (Only Makes You Stronger)' carries contemporary rock-metal leanings within its dirty-blues rock framework; it also highlights just how big and energy-laden the sound of this album is (most of the songs were tracked live while the bristling sonics come courtesy of a
co-production with Josh Norton-Cox, a guitars-up-front mix from Josiah J Manning and mastering by Grammy award winning Stardelta).
'World On Fire,' a sinewy riff-driven number that emphasises the Jack J Hutchinson power trio sound, closes out the latest offering from Hutchinson and his band, which is as heavy and hard-hitting as the London based musician suggests.
The Hammer Falls, the reverberating impact is heard.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Interlopers - Interlopers
It's been 15 long years since Steven Lindsay, erstwhile front man of Caledonian popsters The Big Dish, released an album, an absence largely explained by the Glasgow College of Art graduate’s burgeoning career as a painter.
Now, though, he's back in a new musical guise, Interlopers, and with distinguished company in the shape of Stuart McCredie (keyboards and backing vocals) and Ross McFarlane (drums), the trio being augmented live by Adrian Barry on bass.
Consequently, Interlopers' eponymous album sounds more like the product of a band than the somewhat more pared-back fare that has hitherto been a feature of Lindsay's solo output.
There are ten songs, all new, on the vinyl version of the album, and eleven on its CD counterpart.
All bar the eleventh song on the CD (which we'll come to in due course) are Steven Lindsay compositions.
The reflective, introspective nature of the songs on Interlopers is reflected in the presence of motifs, both musical and lyrical, from Lindsay's solo work and, indeed, from the final Big Dish album, Satellites.
An album of catchy pop songs peppered with jangly guitars, this is not. Instead, it sounds and feels like the sort of thing that Leonard Cohen might have come up with – if he was Scottish and had a great voice...
Most of the tracks on Interlopers are painted in sombre tones with only the opening track 'Move On,’ and 'Rainbow’s End' (the closing track on side one of the vinyl edition), veering towards the (relatively) upbeat.
Make no mistake, though, melody and beauty abound on Interlopers. And that's true even of its darker songs, such as 'Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again,’ a gorgeously plaintive lament that can equally refer to the effects of time or the Covid-19 pandemic. Or both. The choice is yours.
Elsewhere, Lindsay and company transport themselves – and the listener – to a 1950s Paris nightclub in 'Down On the Boulevard,' the 1980s come calling on 'Here Comes Everybody,' and the gothic grandeur of 'The North Sea' is introduced with the sort of chord progression that might in days of yore have graced the theme tune to a lavishly produced TV thriller (no bad thing in this reviewer's opinion).
And that brings us to the bonus track on the CD, a new version of 'The Twins of Gemini'.
It was written, but never completed, in the late 1970s by Alan Rankine and Billy Mackenzie, better known as The Associates.
Having languished for almost four decades in the 'lost songs' file, it was revived in 2016 when Rankine, Steven Lindsay, and Craig Armstrong (erstwhile Big Dish keyboard player turned Hollywood composer) teamed up. Lindsay added both his lustrous voice and a second verse to the song, and Armstrong tinkled the ivories with great aplomb.
Created with love and reverence, the result – in both 2016 and Interlopers guises – is an exquisitely crafted torch song that pays fitting tribute to the late and much lamented Billy Mackenzie.
And if the producers of the James Bond films should happen to be on the hunt for a new theme tune, they need look no further...
David Milloy
FabricationsHQ
David Milloy is a music fan and writer on many a subject, including classic cars, motorsports and short fiction. His work, list of published articles and links to his books (also on Amazon) can be found at: https://thelosthighway.online/
Now, though, he's back in a new musical guise, Interlopers, and with distinguished company in the shape of Stuart McCredie (keyboards and backing vocals) and Ross McFarlane (drums), the trio being augmented live by Adrian Barry on bass.
Consequently, Interlopers' eponymous album sounds more like the product of a band than the somewhat more pared-back fare that has hitherto been a feature of Lindsay's solo output.
There are ten songs, all new, on the vinyl version of the album, and eleven on its CD counterpart.
All bar the eleventh song on the CD (which we'll come to in due course) are Steven Lindsay compositions.
The reflective, introspective nature of the songs on Interlopers is reflected in the presence of motifs, both musical and lyrical, from Lindsay's solo work and, indeed, from the final Big Dish album, Satellites.
An album of catchy pop songs peppered with jangly guitars, this is not. Instead, it sounds and feels like the sort of thing that Leonard Cohen might have come up with – if he was Scottish and had a great voice...
Most of the tracks on Interlopers are painted in sombre tones with only the opening track 'Move On,’ and 'Rainbow’s End' (the closing track on side one of the vinyl edition), veering towards the (relatively) upbeat.
Make no mistake, though, melody and beauty abound on Interlopers. And that's true even of its darker songs, such as 'Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again,’ a gorgeously plaintive lament that can equally refer to the effects of time or the Covid-19 pandemic. Or both. The choice is yours.
Elsewhere, Lindsay and company transport themselves – and the listener – to a 1950s Paris nightclub in 'Down On the Boulevard,' the 1980s come calling on 'Here Comes Everybody,' and the gothic grandeur of 'The North Sea' is introduced with the sort of chord progression that might in days of yore have graced the theme tune to a lavishly produced TV thriller (no bad thing in this reviewer's opinion).
And that brings us to the bonus track on the CD, a new version of 'The Twins of Gemini'.
It was written, but never completed, in the late 1970s by Alan Rankine and Billy Mackenzie, better known as The Associates.
Having languished for almost four decades in the 'lost songs' file, it was revived in 2016 when Rankine, Steven Lindsay, and Craig Armstrong (erstwhile Big Dish keyboard player turned Hollywood composer) teamed up. Lindsay added both his lustrous voice and a second verse to the song, and Armstrong tinkled the ivories with great aplomb.
Created with love and reverence, the result – in both 2016 and Interlopers guises – is an exquisitely crafted torch song that pays fitting tribute to the late and much lamented Billy Mackenzie.
And if the producers of the James Bond films should happen to be on the hunt for a new theme tune, they need look no further...
David Milloy
FabricationsHQ
David Milloy is a music fan and writer on many a subject, including classic cars, motorsports and short fiction. His work, list of published articles and links to his books (also on Amazon) can be found at: https://thelosthighway.online/
Gerry Jablonski and The Electric Band – 105
Should there still be any question as to why the Aberdeenshire based Gerry Jablonski and The Electric Band are seen and heard (in the live environment) as one of the more high-energy, heavy blues rock outfits in the UK, the answer comes loud and clear on the opening bars of 'Breaking the Stones,' which announces the band’s fifth studio album 105.
The song (a heavier reworking of an earlier Electric Band number) carries plenty of light and shade however, including harmony voiced post-chorus passages and bags of blues harp, Peter Narojczyk’s harmonica dovetailing with Gerry Jablonski’s heavy duty riffage (and lead licks that almost spark off the amp casing).
Both harmonica and guitar then carry the call (and answer) of the song to its finale.
'Strange Love' opens as muscly as the opener with a riff that refuses to let go before morphing into a more psychedelically tinged blues rocker that carries a hint of vocal similarity to the late and great Jack Bruce on the choruses (adding to the psychedelic, Cream-ified vibe of the number); there’s also a live and raw sounding solo from Gerry Jablonski which very much fits the song-style bill.
Not that Jablonski (guitars, vocals), Narojczyk (harmonica) and the tight and tidy rhythm section of Lewis Fraser (drums, vocals) and Grigor Leslie (bass, backing vocals) are all about the amps to 11, or putting the rawk into blues rock.
'Hard Road,' for example, featuring shared lead vocals from Jablonski and Fraser, is a poignant harp and guitar blues to the plight of Ukraine in the face of Russian invasion (the band walked into the studio on the morning of the Invasion, causing the song to almost write itself).
The unfolding story of the invasion also led the band to consider current events and other pertinent issues, which manifest themselves in a number of the songs – 'Tiny Thoughts' (late 60s/ early 70s musical appeal with a heavy pop undercurrent) is on the subject of mental health, while the tempo shifting 'Heavy Water' (opening in light, reflective manner before kicking in to a meatier, riff-driven sequence) makes its not inconsiderable mark through a lyric that cries to the pain of environmental disaster.
Elsewhere you’ll find a mid-tempo blues rock and roll nod to the Free spirit that was 'Koss' (lyrically biographing the guitarist and dropping in a number of Free song titles), the album’s heavy blues moment 'Breaking the Code' and the lyrically steamy, musically weighty and wailing harp & six-string attack of 'Goddamn,' which first saw the light of day as an ear-catching and highly impacting single a year ago.
The album ends on the shortest number of the nine tracks on offer, the three-minute Gerry Jablonski electric guitar instrumental 'Dark Island.'
Traditional in foundation but a wailing Celtic blues in delivery (there are some genuinely anguished lines of distortion here from Jablonski), 'Dark Island' closes out what is Gerry Jablonski and The Electric Band’s strongest and most all-encompassing work to date.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The song (a heavier reworking of an earlier Electric Band number) carries plenty of light and shade however, including harmony voiced post-chorus passages and bags of blues harp, Peter Narojczyk’s harmonica dovetailing with Gerry Jablonski’s heavy duty riffage (and lead licks that almost spark off the amp casing).
Both harmonica and guitar then carry the call (and answer) of the song to its finale.
'Strange Love' opens as muscly as the opener with a riff that refuses to let go before morphing into a more psychedelically tinged blues rocker that carries a hint of vocal similarity to the late and great Jack Bruce on the choruses (adding to the psychedelic, Cream-ified vibe of the number); there’s also a live and raw sounding solo from Gerry Jablonski which very much fits the song-style bill.
Not that Jablonski (guitars, vocals), Narojczyk (harmonica) and the tight and tidy rhythm section of Lewis Fraser (drums, vocals) and Grigor Leslie (bass, backing vocals) are all about the amps to 11, or putting the rawk into blues rock.
'Hard Road,' for example, featuring shared lead vocals from Jablonski and Fraser, is a poignant harp and guitar blues to the plight of Ukraine in the face of Russian invasion (the band walked into the studio on the morning of the Invasion, causing the song to almost write itself).
The unfolding story of the invasion also led the band to consider current events and other pertinent issues, which manifest themselves in a number of the songs – 'Tiny Thoughts' (late 60s/ early 70s musical appeal with a heavy pop undercurrent) is on the subject of mental health, while the tempo shifting 'Heavy Water' (opening in light, reflective manner before kicking in to a meatier, riff-driven sequence) makes its not inconsiderable mark through a lyric that cries to the pain of environmental disaster.
Elsewhere you’ll find a mid-tempo blues rock and roll nod to the Free spirit that was 'Koss' (lyrically biographing the guitarist and dropping in a number of Free song titles), the album’s heavy blues moment 'Breaking the Code' and the lyrically steamy, musically weighty and wailing harp & six-string attack of 'Goddamn,' which first saw the light of day as an ear-catching and highly impacting single a year ago.
The album ends on the shortest number of the nine tracks on offer, the three-minute Gerry Jablonski electric guitar instrumental 'Dark Island.'
Traditional in foundation but a wailing Celtic blues in delivery (there are some genuinely anguished lines of distortion here from Jablonski), 'Dark Island' closes out what is Gerry Jablonski and The Electric Band’s strongest and most all-encompassing work to date.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Jethro Tull – The Zealot Gene
There’s going to be a few cynically raised eyebrows at a new album from Jethro Tull, given it’s been 18 years since the last Tull offering and, like so many legacy acts who bear little resemblance to their classic era guise, the argument of whether it’s even still Jethro Tull.
However Ian Anderson, the founding focal, vocal and songwriting point of the band, has been touring and performing with the core of this line-up for fifteen years (Anderson, keyboardist John O’Hara, bassist David Goodier).
Drummer Scott Hammond joined in 2017 and latest recruit, guitarist Joe Parish-James, joined in 2020 (Parish features on one song; departing six-stringer Florian Opahle plays on all others).
Additionally, a lot of the album was recorded by the band together in the studio (pre-pandemic, then between lockdowns); Ian Anderson, who readily accepts Jethro Tull is both a brand and band, therefore always saw and heard this as a band album, not a solo work.
And let’s not forget A was a Jethro Tull album in name only (an Ian Anderson solo album until record label pressure intervened) while Anderson’s solo album Thick as a Brick 2 was, as a conceptual sequel, Jethro Tull.
In short, the names Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson are interchangeable with the 'sound' of Tull musically indelible.
The Zealot Gene features recurring themes that touch on opinionated populism (especially in leadership), extreme views, prejudices and divisiveness, all leaving very little grey area for debate (hence the very black and white styled album cover); even the Bible is fair game, with Ian Anderson drawing questioning parallels from its text.
From the jaunty flute, hi-hat backing and guitar flourishes that introduce 'Mrs Tibbets,' The Zealot Gene could only be Jethro Tull album; the up-tempo beat and musical panache of the number (complete with tasty guitar solo from Florian Opahle), belies a darker lyric about destruction, specifically the flight of the Enola Gay and its atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima in 1945.
(The line "Mrs Tibbets little boy" doubles as a reference to the pilot and his mother and, chillingly, the bomb itself (code-named Little Boy)).
The short and acoustic 'Jacob’s Tale' (with bluesy harmonica interjections from Ian Anderson) hearkens back to early Tull, while the piano and flute intro to 'Mine is the Mountain' hints ever so slightly at 'Locomotive Breath' before shaping itself into an atmospheric meets theatrical Tull nugget that wouldn’t have been out of place on Crest of a Knave (it also acts, in part, as the decades later partner to 'My God' from Aqualung).
The title track decries political divisiveness both sharply and efficiently, thick guitars and flute sections dovetailing with, again, jauntier verses and a warning chorus ("beware the zealot gene… naked flame near gasoline!"); the similarly weighted 'Shoshana Sleeping' then rhythmically marches in to attention.
The Celtic-tinged 'Sad Soul Sisters' (penny whistle, accordion, acoustic guitar and flute share space on a song about women seen stumbling out of night clubs, rag doll like, at 4am) offers contemplative contrast while the rockier folk of 'Barren Beth, Wild Desert John' would have sat comfortably on any mid to late 70s Tull album.
The up-tempo Tull-pop & rock of 'The Betrayal of Joshua Kynde' is a musically and lyrically fine example of the aforementioned Biblical parallels (the song lyrically examines the reasons for, and of, betrayal by cleverly paralleling Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus).
The acoustic trio of 'Where Did Saturday Go?' and similarly structured 'Three Loves, Three' and 'In Brief Visitation' offer up reflective and thoughtful contrast before 'The Fisherman Of Ephesus' brings the album to a mid-tempo, and again paralleling, close ("sings of miracles and fairy tales, of barley loaves and two small fish").
The Zealot Gene is a very good album with some exceptional moments that merits having the name Jethro Tull on the cover. Let the heated debates begin – with very little grey area, natch.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
However Ian Anderson, the founding focal, vocal and songwriting point of the band, has been touring and performing with the core of this line-up for fifteen years (Anderson, keyboardist John O’Hara, bassist David Goodier).
Drummer Scott Hammond joined in 2017 and latest recruit, guitarist Joe Parish-James, joined in 2020 (Parish features on one song; departing six-stringer Florian Opahle plays on all others).
Additionally, a lot of the album was recorded by the band together in the studio (pre-pandemic, then between lockdowns); Ian Anderson, who readily accepts Jethro Tull is both a brand and band, therefore always saw and heard this as a band album, not a solo work.
And let’s not forget A was a Jethro Tull album in name only (an Ian Anderson solo album until record label pressure intervened) while Anderson’s solo album Thick as a Brick 2 was, as a conceptual sequel, Jethro Tull.
In short, the names Jethro Tull and Ian Anderson are interchangeable with the 'sound' of Tull musically indelible.
The Zealot Gene features recurring themes that touch on opinionated populism (especially in leadership), extreme views, prejudices and divisiveness, all leaving very little grey area for debate (hence the very black and white styled album cover); even the Bible is fair game, with Ian Anderson drawing questioning parallels from its text.
From the jaunty flute, hi-hat backing and guitar flourishes that introduce 'Mrs Tibbets,' The Zealot Gene could only be Jethro Tull album; the up-tempo beat and musical panache of the number (complete with tasty guitar solo from Florian Opahle), belies a darker lyric about destruction, specifically the flight of the Enola Gay and its atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima in 1945.
(The line "Mrs Tibbets little boy" doubles as a reference to the pilot and his mother and, chillingly, the bomb itself (code-named Little Boy)).
The short and acoustic 'Jacob’s Tale' (with bluesy harmonica interjections from Ian Anderson) hearkens back to early Tull, while the piano and flute intro to 'Mine is the Mountain' hints ever so slightly at 'Locomotive Breath' before shaping itself into an atmospheric meets theatrical Tull nugget that wouldn’t have been out of place on Crest of a Knave (it also acts, in part, as the decades later partner to 'My God' from Aqualung).
The title track decries political divisiveness both sharply and efficiently, thick guitars and flute sections dovetailing with, again, jauntier verses and a warning chorus ("beware the zealot gene… naked flame near gasoline!"); the similarly weighted 'Shoshana Sleeping' then rhythmically marches in to attention.
The Celtic-tinged 'Sad Soul Sisters' (penny whistle, accordion, acoustic guitar and flute share space on a song about women seen stumbling out of night clubs, rag doll like, at 4am) offers contemplative contrast while the rockier folk of 'Barren Beth, Wild Desert John' would have sat comfortably on any mid to late 70s Tull album.
The up-tempo Tull-pop & rock of 'The Betrayal of Joshua Kynde' is a musically and lyrically fine example of the aforementioned Biblical parallels (the song lyrically examines the reasons for, and of, betrayal by cleverly paralleling Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus).
The acoustic trio of 'Where Did Saturday Go?' and similarly structured 'Three Loves, Three' and 'In Brief Visitation' offer up reflective and thoughtful contrast before 'The Fisherman Of Ephesus' brings the album to a mid-tempo, and again paralleling, close ("sings of miracles and fairy tales, of barley loaves and two small fish").
The Zealot Gene is a very good album with some exceptional moments that merits having the name Jethro Tull on the cover. Let the heated debates begin – with very little grey area, natch.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Robert Jon & The Wreck – Wreckage Vol. 2
Wreckage Vol. 2, from noted Californian southern rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck is, as the title suggests, a second volume of non-album cuts from the celebrated Orange County quintet of Robert Jon Burrison (lead vocals, guitar), Andrew Espantman (drums, backing vocals), Steve Maggiora (keys, backing vocals), Henry James (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Warren Murrel (bass).
Vol. 1, first released in 2017 and originally only available at shows and via the band’s website, collected the EPs Rhythm of the Road & Red Bull Sessions along with a number of B-sides.
Vol. 2 however is exclusively a live affair, recorded either on stage or from in-studio live sessions recorded between 2020 and 2022.
Wreckage Vol. 2 is also the stronger of the two collections; not only is it a great album in its own right (not just a compilation but a showcase), it highlights just how tight the band are in the live environment.
Featuring new songs (and a cover) alongside live versions of older numbers/ fan favourites is another mix and match plus.
The 10 track album opens with live versions (recorded at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels earlier this year) of new songs and previous singles 'She’s a Fighter' and 'Waiting For Your Man,' both of which are as vibrant as their studio/ single counterparts.
The former is an uplifting, Skynyrd-styled southern rock 'n' roller while the latter is high-powered, high-gear guitar (and keys) blazing slice of Orange County rock and roll.
There then follows two songs from Shuffle Brothers Studios recorded in February 2020.
'Rescue Train,' one of the band’s oldest songs, is a slow six-and-a-half minute blues that can stretch further, jam-like, on stage; 'The Weight' is a pretty faithful cover of The Band classic, here extended by electric piano & organ solos from Steve Maggiora, followed by tasteful guitar solo from Henry James.
Kudos here too for the harmony/ backing vocals, a RJ&TW trait/ strength.
Miss-you ballad 'Old Hotel Room,' written during the Last Light On The Highway album sessions but never recorded, deservedly gets an airing here, as recorded at L.A’s Sunset Sound in June 2020.
The Sunset Sound sessions also played host to the old and new of RJ&TW – touching southern-styled ballad 'Dark Roses' (written about the loss of a close friend) contrasts quite dramatically with the fast-paced rock 'n' roll boogie of 'On The Run' (first recorded back in 2014), but both are out and out winners.
'Cannonball,' from the band's 2019 album Take Me Higher, is an ever-shifting, Allman-esque instrumental that’s never played the same way twice any time it’s performed; it’s therefore a worthy, slightly weightier than the original, nine-minute-plus inclusion.
The album closes out with two songs recorded live at the studios of DJE in California in May 2020 (part of a RJ&TW live stream performance during the pandemic).
'Something to Remember Me By,' also from Take Me Higher, is an outrageously funky number (southern disco anyone?) that features some wicked little distorted licks from Henry James.
The very 70s sounding 'Witchcraft' is another multi-faceted RJ&TW instrumental that, like 'Cannonball,' is never performed the same way twice – at ten-and-half-minutes long this version is an excellent, extended jam example, Henry James and Steve’s Maggiora to the fore on their individual and dovetailing soloing.
Take a dive into the Wreckage; you’ll be delighted at the shiny old & new finds, and collector’s items, within.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Vol. 1, first released in 2017 and originally only available at shows and via the band’s website, collected the EPs Rhythm of the Road & Red Bull Sessions along with a number of B-sides.
Vol. 2 however is exclusively a live affair, recorded either on stage or from in-studio live sessions recorded between 2020 and 2022.
Wreckage Vol. 2 is also the stronger of the two collections; not only is it a great album in its own right (not just a compilation but a showcase), it highlights just how tight the band are in the live environment.
Featuring new songs (and a cover) alongside live versions of older numbers/ fan favourites is another mix and match plus.
The 10 track album opens with live versions (recorded at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels earlier this year) of new songs and previous singles 'She’s a Fighter' and 'Waiting For Your Man,' both of which are as vibrant as their studio/ single counterparts.
The former is an uplifting, Skynyrd-styled southern rock 'n' roller while the latter is high-powered, high-gear guitar (and keys) blazing slice of Orange County rock and roll.
There then follows two songs from Shuffle Brothers Studios recorded in February 2020.
'Rescue Train,' one of the band’s oldest songs, is a slow six-and-a-half minute blues that can stretch further, jam-like, on stage; 'The Weight' is a pretty faithful cover of The Band classic, here extended by electric piano & organ solos from Steve Maggiora, followed by tasteful guitar solo from Henry James.
Kudos here too for the harmony/ backing vocals, a RJ&TW trait/ strength.
Miss-you ballad 'Old Hotel Room,' written during the Last Light On The Highway album sessions but never recorded, deservedly gets an airing here, as recorded at L.A’s Sunset Sound in June 2020.
The Sunset Sound sessions also played host to the old and new of RJ&TW – touching southern-styled ballad 'Dark Roses' (written about the loss of a close friend) contrasts quite dramatically with the fast-paced rock 'n' roll boogie of 'On The Run' (first recorded back in 2014), but both are out and out winners.
'Cannonball,' from the band's 2019 album Take Me Higher, is an ever-shifting, Allman-esque instrumental that’s never played the same way twice any time it’s performed; it’s therefore a worthy, slightly weightier than the original, nine-minute-plus inclusion.
The album closes out with two songs recorded live at the studios of DJE in California in May 2020 (part of a RJ&TW live stream performance during the pandemic).
'Something to Remember Me By,' also from Take Me Higher, is an outrageously funky number (southern disco anyone?) that features some wicked little distorted licks from Henry James.
The very 70s sounding 'Witchcraft' is another multi-faceted RJ&TW instrumental that, like 'Cannonball,' is never performed the same way twice – at ten-and-half-minutes long this version is an excellent, extended jam example, Henry James and Steve’s Maggiora to the fore on their individual and dovetailing soloing.
Take a dive into the Wreckage; you’ll be delighted at the shiny old & new finds, and collector’s items, within.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Laurence Jones – Destination Unknown
Well, that’s more like it.
Five years and two studio albums ago British blues guitar slinger and singer Laurence Jones headed to Miami to work with producer Gregory Elias on what became crossover soul-blues-pop album The Truth.
Unfortunately Elias’s re-arrangement ideas and concise song-lengths made for an overly Americanised, and overly sterilised, affair; the follow up Laurence Jones Band album, with Elias again at the production helm, fared far better, but it still didn’t show Laurence Jones in his best crossover light.
Three years on, with Laurence Jones and Bennett Holland (Hammond, piano, synth, vocals) joined by bassist Jack Alexander Timmis and drummer Samuel Jenkins (a seriously tight and tidy quartet) Jones has shaken off those "crossover blues" (see what I did there?) and traded Miami for Milton Keynes and Marshall Studio to record Destination Unknown, a rock oriented album (and his first for Marshall Records) that allows room for his lighter, soul-pop side.
Should there be any doubt about the rock credentials of LJ and his band they are dispelled immediately with opener 'Anywhere With Me,' a song with 70s rock appeal and shades of Montrose, bolstered by some full bodied Hammond backing (that early 70s rock sound permeates through many a number).
Similarly old-school in 70s rock appeal is the purposeful beat of 'Give Me That Feeling,' with an equally 70s sounding guitar solo. Jones fires off another short and sharp rock guitar lead on the pacier 'In Too Deep,' which carries more modern rock-blues appeal.
'Can’t Keep From Loving You' is the radio-friendly crossover side of Laurence Jones; it's a simply arranged but highly effective mid-tempo number that recalls the Doobie Brothers as they entered their own transitional crossover period of the mid-70s.
Heading further into crossover territory are 'I Won’t Lie Again' (a tad repetitive but featuring a silky and melodically smooth guitar solo) and the dreamy soul-pop of 'Gave It All Away' (not sure the "woo-oohs" are needed, mind).
Elsewhere there’s the country crossover meets Americana soul-pop of 'Holding Back' (highlighting LJ's ability to deliver a solo that best fits the song) and even melodic (blues) rock, on the piano backed 'Said And Done.'
But fear not, blues lovers, LJ’s blues credentials show up on the six-minute melodic blues ballad 'Tonight.'
Featuring nice light and shade and an instrumental finale showcasing Laurence Jones and Bennett Holland in full melodic guitar & Hammond cry (all kept rhythmically tight by Messrs Timmis & Jenkins), 'Tonight' is the welcome return of a longer-form number on a Laurence Jones album (it’s been a while).
The atmospheric, album closing title track is another blues showcase, a near five-minute soulful ballad that features Bennett Holland on harmony and counter-vocals and some deft and genuinely plaintive guitar play from Laurence Jones.
Ten years and seven studio albums on there is, indeed, still a sense of Destination Unknown for Laurence Jones.
Albums such as What’s It Gonna Be and Take Me High pointed to a musician taking a step or two up the blues rock ladder but the change of direction to crossover three-minute blues-soul-pop, while paved with the good intentions that led to Miami and Gregory Elias, led to a step or two back – and that’s The Truth of the matter. (Many Truth songs did however fare far better live, once unshackled from their sterilised studio counterparts).
Now, however, equipped with a rock orientated album that’s peppered with far more effective crossover material (Jones’ own production and an excellent mix from Chris Sheldon have also improved the sonic situation) Laurence Jones is back on track (it ain’t perfect, but it certainly reinforces and underlines who Laurence Jones truly is).
Destination Unknown, but the musical roads Laurence Jones takes from this point on sound like they might well be worth the travel.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Five years and two studio albums ago British blues guitar slinger and singer Laurence Jones headed to Miami to work with producer Gregory Elias on what became crossover soul-blues-pop album The Truth.
Unfortunately Elias’s re-arrangement ideas and concise song-lengths made for an overly Americanised, and overly sterilised, affair; the follow up Laurence Jones Band album, with Elias again at the production helm, fared far better, but it still didn’t show Laurence Jones in his best crossover light.
Three years on, with Laurence Jones and Bennett Holland (Hammond, piano, synth, vocals) joined by bassist Jack Alexander Timmis and drummer Samuel Jenkins (a seriously tight and tidy quartet) Jones has shaken off those "crossover blues" (see what I did there?) and traded Miami for Milton Keynes and Marshall Studio to record Destination Unknown, a rock oriented album (and his first for Marshall Records) that allows room for his lighter, soul-pop side.
Should there be any doubt about the rock credentials of LJ and his band they are dispelled immediately with opener 'Anywhere With Me,' a song with 70s rock appeal and shades of Montrose, bolstered by some full bodied Hammond backing (that early 70s rock sound permeates through many a number).
Similarly old-school in 70s rock appeal is the purposeful beat of 'Give Me That Feeling,' with an equally 70s sounding guitar solo. Jones fires off another short and sharp rock guitar lead on the pacier 'In Too Deep,' which carries more modern rock-blues appeal.
'Can’t Keep From Loving You' is the radio-friendly crossover side of Laurence Jones; it's a simply arranged but highly effective mid-tempo number that recalls the Doobie Brothers as they entered their own transitional crossover period of the mid-70s.
Heading further into crossover territory are 'I Won’t Lie Again' (a tad repetitive but featuring a silky and melodically smooth guitar solo) and the dreamy soul-pop of 'Gave It All Away' (not sure the "woo-oohs" are needed, mind).
Elsewhere there’s the country crossover meets Americana soul-pop of 'Holding Back' (highlighting LJ's ability to deliver a solo that best fits the song) and even melodic (blues) rock, on the piano backed 'Said And Done.'
But fear not, blues lovers, LJ’s blues credentials show up on the six-minute melodic blues ballad 'Tonight.'
Featuring nice light and shade and an instrumental finale showcasing Laurence Jones and Bennett Holland in full melodic guitar & Hammond cry (all kept rhythmically tight by Messrs Timmis & Jenkins), 'Tonight' is the welcome return of a longer-form number on a Laurence Jones album (it’s been a while).
The atmospheric, album closing title track is another blues showcase, a near five-minute soulful ballad that features Bennett Holland on harmony and counter-vocals and some deft and genuinely plaintive guitar play from Laurence Jones.
Ten years and seven studio albums on there is, indeed, still a sense of Destination Unknown for Laurence Jones.
Albums such as What’s It Gonna Be and Take Me High pointed to a musician taking a step or two up the blues rock ladder but the change of direction to crossover three-minute blues-soul-pop, while paved with the good intentions that led to Miami and Gregory Elias, led to a step or two back – and that’s The Truth of the matter. (Many Truth songs did however fare far better live, once unshackled from their sterilised studio counterparts).
Now, however, equipped with a rock orientated album that’s peppered with far more effective crossover material (Jones’ own production and an excellent mix from Chris Sheldon have also improved the sonic situation) Laurence Jones is back on track (it ain’t perfect, but it certainly reinforces and underlines who Laurence Jones truly is).
Destination Unknown, but the musical roads Laurence Jones takes from this point on sound like they might well be worth the travel.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Jordan Red – Hands That Built the World
With paraphrasing apologies to Marks & Spencer (other retail stores with tasty food offerings are available) this is not just contemporary rock-metal, this is Jordan Red rock-metal….
As is the case with many a popular rock genre, contemporary rock-metal has a number of pre-requisites (gritty, thick sounding guitar riffs and anthemic, usually highly melodic choruses for starters).
But Jordan Red, formed around the musical partnership of guitarist Dan Baker and singer Daniel Leigh, bolstered by the addition of bassist Conor O'Keefe and drummer Dave Fee, take it a step or two further.
That Jordan Red statement of bigger, bolder and at times atmospheric intent is evidenced right from the get-go with 'Awake,' opening number of debut album Hands That Built The World.
'Awake' incorporates great dynamics (rhythmic verses, punchy as hell choruses) across a mixture of super-charged rock-metal and twenty-first century punk; Daniel Leigh’s defiant vocal and a hip-to-your-lies lyric makes the song even more powerful.
Nor does it hurt that the band are also contemporary in conceptual approach – Jordan Red combines the first name of clinical psychologist Dr Jordan B Peterson and the "Red Pill" (from dystopian sci-fi movie classic The Matrix), which represents an uncertain future and the possibility of learning unsettling truths.
(The above is all the more relevant given the equally uncertain and unsettling world of the last few years, something Hands That Built The World taps into).
The fittingly unsettling 'Spilling My Blood,' another with a great use of dynamics, drops the tempo but not the energy (you can almost hear the speakers crackle on the choruses and sharp guitar accompaniment).
The melodic metal stylings of 'Beautiful Monsters' then picks up the pace, before dropping and shifting tempos mid-song (something of a Jordan Red trait) for further dramatic effect.
The hookier 'Way Down' and effervescent energy of the title track both rock like the proverbial, with a short and sharp approach that makes them all the more impacting (every song on the album is under four minutes long).
The initially lighter stylings (and "whoa-oh" interjections) of 'Don't Let The Heavens Fall' adds interesting contrast (metal-edge and sonic weight are utilised later on this "final warning" song); following number 'Freak Show' makes even more judicious use of the "whoa-ohs" on what is, to all intents and purposes, a dance-metal number (that will go down a treat live).
'Before They Burn Us All' is as close to melodic Euro-metal as Jordan Red get (and a fine job they make of it too) before 'It Calls My Name' offers atmospheric metal meshed with hard driving passages.
Atmospherics also sit behind punky unification number 'We Are Everybody' (dynamics are definitely a strength of Jordan Red), while 'Cast a Flame' is the one "template" number that could be any of your favourite contemporary rock-metal acts.
However Jordan Red sounding redemption follows in the shape of 'Get Up,' which closes out the album with powerful don’t-get-pulled-under lyrical message and punk-metal purpose.
As has been cited previously in press and pre-release, fans of the likes of Alter Bridge and Shinedown should love Hands That Built The World, which also sports great production, mixing and mastering from Romesh Dodangoda (Those Damn Crows, Inglorious, Motörhead, Nova Twins, Don Broco).
But the unsettling truth is Jordan Red sound more like... Jordan Red.
Keep taking the Red Pill and crank the audio up to 11.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Hands That Built The World and Jordan Red merchandise:
https://www.jordan-red.com/collections/shop
As is the case with many a popular rock genre, contemporary rock-metal has a number of pre-requisites (gritty, thick sounding guitar riffs and anthemic, usually highly melodic choruses for starters).
But Jordan Red, formed around the musical partnership of guitarist Dan Baker and singer Daniel Leigh, bolstered by the addition of bassist Conor O'Keefe and drummer Dave Fee, take it a step or two further.
That Jordan Red statement of bigger, bolder and at times atmospheric intent is evidenced right from the get-go with 'Awake,' opening number of debut album Hands That Built The World.
'Awake' incorporates great dynamics (rhythmic verses, punchy as hell choruses) across a mixture of super-charged rock-metal and twenty-first century punk; Daniel Leigh’s defiant vocal and a hip-to-your-lies lyric makes the song even more powerful.
Nor does it hurt that the band are also contemporary in conceptual approach – Jordan Red combines the first name of clinical psychologist Dr Jordan B Peterson and the "Red Pill" (from dystopian sci-fi movie classic The Matrix), which represents an uncertain future and the possibility of learning unsettling truths.
(The above is all the more relevant given the equally uncertain and unsettling world of the last few years, something Hands That Built The World taps into).
The fittingly unsettling 'Spilling My Blood,' another with a great use of dynamics, drops the tempo but not the energy (you can almost hear the speakers crackle on the choruses and sharp guitar accompaniment).
The melodic metal stylings of 'Beautiful Monsters' then picks up the pace, before dropping and shifting tempos mid-song (something of a Jordan Red trait) for further dramatic effect.
The hookier 'Way Down' and effervescent energy of the title track both rock like the proverbial, with a short and sharp approach that makes them all the more impacting (every song on the album is under four minutes long).
The initially lighter stylings (and "whoa-oh" interjections) of 'Don't Let The Heavens Fall' adds interesting contrast (metal-edge and sonic weight are utilised later on this "final warning" song); following number 'Freak Show' makes even more judicious use of the "whoa-ohs" on what is, to all intents and purposes, a dance-metal number (that will go down a treat live).
'Before They Burn Us All' is as close to melodic Euro-metal as Jordan Red get (and a fine job they make of it too) before 'It Calls My Name' offers atmospheric metal meshed with hard driving passages.
Atmospherics also sit behind punky unification number 'We Are Everybody' (dynamics are definitely a strength of Jordan Red), while 'Cast a Flame' is the one "template" number that could be any of your favourite contemporary rock-metal acts.
However Jordan Red sounding redemption follows in the shape of 'Get Up,' which closes out the album with powerful don’t-get-pulled-under lyrical message and punk-metal purpose.
As has been cited previously in press and pre-release, fans of the likes of Alter Bridge and Shinedown should love Hands That Built The World, which also sports great production, mixing and mastering from Romesh Dodangoda (Those Damn Crows, Inglorious, Motörhead, Nova Twins, Don Broco).
But the unsettling truth is Jordan Red sound more like... Jordan Red.
Keep taking the Red Pill and crank the audio up to 11.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Hands That Built The World and Jordan Red merchandise:
https://www.jordan-red.com/collections/shop
Journey – Freedom
Journey, like many legacy acts who fill large halls, arenas or Las Vegas residencies with audience demanded Greatest Hits set-lists, are between a melodic Rock of the late 70s and 80s and a Hard Place to sell any new wares.
That’s part of the reason it’s been 11 years since Journey’s last studio album Eclipse, although turmoil (the firing of co-founder Ross Valory and Steve Smith in legally messy circumstances; bringing in new recruits, a couple of whom have since changed) probably also delayed new material matters.
To be fair the new look Journey – Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain and near 15 year JRNY vocal veteran Arnel Pineda are joined on Freedom by drummer & producer Narada Michael Walden, Raised On Radio era touring bassist Randy Jackson and Jason Derlatka on backing vocals (keyboardist & vocalist Derlatka is part of Journey’s touring line-up) – kick-off the album much as you’d expect Journey to sound.
The piano and vocal intro to opener 'Together We Run' soon builds to a beat-driven, melodic soul-rocker (with obligatory quick-fingered melodic solo burst from Neal Schon), while following number 'Don’t Give Up On Us' is a slower paced, second cousin to 'Separate Ways.'
Other borrowing examples include the infectious 'You Got the Best of Me,' a mid-tempo 'Any Way You Want It/ 'Keep On Runnin’' hybrid that employs a hooky, multi-layered melodic-pop chorus.
Where that particular song works well, others fail – the Jonathan Cain penned 'Live to Love Again' is an over-wrought yearner that’s a lifetime away from a genuinely moving piano-led ballad such as 'When You Love a Woman' (but then the Grammy nominated latter benefited from a masterclass in rock tenor crooning, and he ain’t coming back; end of).
Then there’s 'Don’t Go,' a repetitive and throwaway piece power-pop that sounds suspiciously like a holdover/ out-take from Arrival, back when Steve Augeri was lead vocalist.
Similarly uninspiring are atmos-soul (but ironically soul-less) ballad 'Live to Love Again' and the mid-tempo "we’re better together" plea of 'United We Stand,' which musically plods rather than pulsates.
Nor is the latter helped by clichéd lyricism ("United we stand… divided we fall… love conquers all").
Freedom also suffers from what's best described as a poor production sound.
The Schon-Cain-Walden production 'team' clearly worked on parts separately (this was a remote/ lockdown recorded album; Pineda in the Philippines, Schon & Walden in San Francisco, Jackson in LA, Cain at his home studio), compounded by a number of different recording engineers being involved, including the great Bob Clearmountain, who mixed the album.
Given Clearmountain's talents it's perhaps surprising the mix is so muddy, but you have to work with what was recorded/ produced (that there is a lot of / too much reverb on a number of the lead vocal tracks hints at having to work with poor vocal recordings).
Cases in sonically poor point are three album highlights – the Hendrix-esque 'Come Away With Me,' the slow and purposeful rock-blues of 'Let it Rain' and the feisty-fusion muscle of 'Holding On' (Arnel Pineda’s best vocal performance of the album).
Great songs all, but each is hamstrung by a 'dull' sound (no upper range shimmer).
Similarly sound-crippled is the atmospheric ballad 'After Glow;' it doesn’t go anywhere musically but Deen Castronovo’s guest lead vocal (Castronovo has since returned to the Journey fold) should at least be able to give the song a chance, yet it can’t fight its way clear, nor get above the flurry of unnecessary guitar lines and drum clutter towards song's end.
The album closes out on the seven-minute and semi-progressive 'Beautiful As You Are,' a song that actually sounds like it was meant to be (or should have been) longer.
There's also an argument to be made that it could have been better as a shorter, tighter, five-minute melodic rocker – the 'Won't Get Fooled Again' power-chords and frantic drums section, as the song reaches its conclusion, only helps to make the final, delicately delivered title-line vocal from Arnel Pineda anti-climactic.
It’s ironic the album is entitled Freedom because there should be jail-time for whoever thought this album merited release in its overly-long form (73 minutes, 15 songs, too many fillers) and sonically dull state.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That’s part of the reason it’s been 11 years since Journey’s last studio album Eclipse, although turmoil (the firing of co-founder Ross Valory and Steve Smith in legally messy circumstances; bringing in new recruits, a couple of whom have since changed) probably also delayed new material matters.
To be fair the new look Journey – Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain and near 15 year JRNY vocal veteran Arnel Pineda are joined on Freedom by drummer & producer Narada Michael Walden, Raised On Radio era touring bassist Randy Jackson and Jason Derlatka on backing vocals (keyboardist & vocalist Derlatka is part of Journey’s touring line-up) – kick-off the album much as you’d expect Journey to sound.
The piano and vocal intro to opener 'Together We Run' soon builds to a beat-driven, melodic soul-rocker (with obligatory quick-fingered melodic solo burst from Neal Schon), while following number 'Don’t Give Up On Us' is a slower paced, second cousin to 'Separate Ways.'
Other borrowing examples include the infectious 'You Got the Best of Me,' a mid-tempo 'Any Way You Want It/ 'Keep On Runnin’' hybrid that employs a hooky, multi-layered melodic-pop chorus.
Where that particular song works well, others fail – the Jonathan Cain penned 'Live to Love Again' is an over-wrought yearner that’s a lifetime away from a genuinely moving piano-led ballad such as 'When You Love a Woman' (but then the Grammy nominated latter benefited from a masterclass in rock tenor crooning, and he ain’t coming back; end of).
Then there’s 'Don’t Go,' a repetitive and throwaway piece power-pop that sounds suspiciously like a holdover/ out-take from Arrival, back when Steve Augeri was lead vocalist.
Similarly uninspiring are atmos-soul (but ironically soul-less) ballad 'Live to Love Again' and the mid-tempo "we’re better together" plea of 'United We Stand,' which musically plods rather than pulsates.
Nor is the latter helped by clichéd lyricism ("United we stand… divided we fall… love conquers all").
Freedom also suffers from what's best described as a poor production sound.
The Schon-Cain-Walden production 'team' clearly worked on parts separately (this was a remote/ lockdown recorded album; Pineda in the Philippines, Schon & Walden in San Francisco, Jackson in LA, Cain at his home studio), compounded by a number of different recording engineers being involved, including the great Bob Clearmountain, who mixed the album.
Given Clearmountain's talents it's perhaps surprising the mix is so muddy, but you have to work with what was recorded/ produced (that there is a lot of / too much reverb on a number of the lead vocal tracks hints at having to work with poor vocal recordings).
Cases in sonically poor point are three album highlights – the Hendrix-esque 'Come Away With Me,' the slow and purposeful rock-blues of 'Let it Rain' and the feisty-fusion muscle of 'Holding On' (Arnel Pineda’s best vocal performance of the album).
Great songs all, but each is hamstrung by a 'dull' sound (no upper range shimmer).
Similarly sound-crippled is the atmospheric ballad 'After Glow;' it doesn’t go anywhere musically but Deen Castronovo’s guest lead vocal (Castronovo has since returned to the Journey fold) should at least be able to give the song a chance, yet it can’t fight its way clear, nor get above the flurry of unnecessary guitar lines and drum clutter towards song's end.
The album closes out on the seven-minute and semi-progressive 'Beautiful As You Are,' a song that actually sounds like it was meant to be (or should have been) longer.
There's also an argument to be made that it could have been better as a shorter, tighter, five-minute melodic rocker – the 'Won't Get Fooled Again' power-chords and frantic drums section, as the song reaches its conclusion, only helps to make the final, delicately delivered title-line vocal from Arnel Pineda anti-climactic.
It’s ironic the album is entitled Freedom because there should be jail-time for whoever thought this album merited release in its overly-long form (73 minutes, 15 songs, too many fillers) and sonically dull state.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Kandia - Quaternary
Portuguese band Kandia, built around the impressive vocal talents of Nya Cruz and guitarist André Da Cruz, are described by Frontiers Records as alternative metal.
However on third album Quaternary (their first for Frontiers), aside from the razor-sharp detuned guitar parts (which aren’t overdone) the sound and songs are more akin to atmospheric metal with progressive tendencies (keyboard parts are given equal prominence).
There are also high production values (production, mixing and mastering by Daniel Cardoso of Anathema) and it’s clear a great deal of thought has gone into the arrangements, including a sense and understanding of dynamics.
Opening number 'Anthropocene' is a case in point; a cinematic composition which includes a piano part, orchestration and distant operatic vocals with hints of menace (not dissimilar to the kind of thing John Carpenter would produce).
It may only be one minute long but it’s a highlight of the album, albeit not representative of what is to follow.
'Anthropocene' gives way to 'Obliterate,' which lives up to the name with a monster riff that subsides during the verses to reprise some of 'Anthropocene' and the piano leitmotif.
Following number 'The Flood' opens with another uber-heavy riff but, again, we have equal attention given to dynamics, keyboard parts and careful song composition.
'Fight or Flight' does skirt with alt-metal (the detuned guitar parts are to the fore throughout), but it’s a strong song nonetheless.
'Until the End' contains some interesting stereo production techniques and carries enough melodic light and atmospheric, metal-tinged shade to keep the listener involved (it also features some great, soaring vocals from senhorita Cruz and a riff to die for).
'Turn of the Tide' features another interesting set of riffs; this time they are more complex with tempo changes and time signatures that defy logic, but it all works.
It might not be the strongest number on the album but it should certainly draw in the Dream Theater crowd.
'PBP' is reminiscent of mid-period Rush (any Rush reference is no bad thing), but the inclusion of the angry, growl-vocals (presumably by Andre Da Cruz) are ill-advised and detract from the sonic atmosphere of the song.
'Deathwish' returns to the form of the album’s earlier numbers. It features another brutal staccato riff, punctuated by the inventive vocals of Nya Cruz, plus lush orchestration at the choruses. Great stuff.
'Murderers,' unfortunately, again includes a smattering of shout-vocals in the verses; they do however suit the profile of an extremely intense song, broken only an atmospheric and delicate section before the intensity (now featuring saxophone) is heightened.
The off-kilter rhythm of 'A New Dawn,' much like 'Murderers,' doesn’t quite hit the mark (scuppered again by ill-advised harsh vocality) but Nya Cruz just about manages to pull it out the bag.
Final number 'Holocene' drops the tempo and, initially, the intensity, to features another stellar vocal performance by Nya Cruz. The number progresses toward metal ballad territory before dropping to a reprise of the intro. Another album highlight.
Kandia and Quaternary are very much at the atmospheric-metal end of the rock spectrum but with a new label (along with the attention and promotion that brings), and by dropping some of the unnecessary harshness, Kandia could yet draw in a broad-ranging rock/ metal audience.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
However on third album Quaternary (their first for Frontiers), aside from the razor-sharp detuned guitar parts (which aren’t overdone) the sound and songs are more akin to atmospheric metal with progressive tendencies (keyboard parts are given equal prominence).
There are also high production values (production, mixing and mastering by Daniel Cardoso of Anathema) and it’s clear a great deal of thought has gone into the arrangements, including a sense and understanding of dynamics.
Opening number 'Anthropocene' is a case in point; a cinematic composition which includes a piano part, orchestration and distant operatic vocals with hints of menace (not dissimilar to the kind of thing John Carpenter would produce).
It may only be one minute long but it’s a highlight of the album, albeit not representative of what is to follow.
'Anthropocene' gives way to 'Obliterate,' which lives up to the name with a monster riff that subsides during the verses to reprise some of 'Anthropocene' and the piano leitmotif.
Following number 'The Flood' opens with another uber-heavy riff but, again, we have equal attention given to dynamics, keyboard parts and careful song composition.
'Fight or Flight' does skirt with alt-metal (the detuned guitar parts are to the fore throughout), but it’s a strong song nonetheless.
'Until the End' contains some interesting stereo production techniques and carries enough melodic light and atmospheric, metal-tinged shade to keep the listener involved (it also features some great, soaring vocals from senhorita Cruz and a riff to die for).
'Turn of the Tide' features another interesting set of riffs; this time they are more complex with tempo changes and time signatures that defy logic, but it all works.
It might not be the strongest number on the album but it should certainly draw in the Dream Theater crowd.
'PBP' is reminiscent of mid-period Rush (any Rush reference is no bad thing), but the inclusion of the angry, growl-vocals (presumably by Andre Da Cruz) are ill-advised and detract from the sonic atmosphere of the song.
'Deathwish' returns to the form of the album’s earlier numbers. It features another brutal staccato riff, punctuated by the inventive vocals of Nya Cruz, plus lush orchestration at the choruses. Great stuff.
'Murderers,' unfortunately, again includes a smattering of shout-vocals in the verses; they do however suit the profile of an extremely intense song, broken only an atmospheric and delicate section before the intensity (now featuring saxophone) is heightened.
The off-kilter rhythm of 'A New Dawn,' much like 'Murderers,' doesn’t quite hit the mark (scuppered again by ill-advised harsh vocality) but Nya Cruz just about manages to pull it out the bag.
Final number 'Holocene' drops the tempo and, initially, the intensity, to features another stellar vocal performance by Nya Cruz. The number progresses toward metal ballad territory before dropping to a reprise of the intro. Another album highlight.
Kandia and Quaternary are very much at the atmospheric-metal end of the rock spectrum but with a new label (along with the attention and promotion that brings), and by dropping some of the unnecessary harshness, Kandia could yet draw in a broad-ranging rock/ metal audience.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Robert Lane – Homeworking
Of British singer-songwriter Robert Lane and his 2018 album Only a Flight Away, FabricationsHQ said:
"When you listen to, and appreciate, the quality of Lane’s third offering you wonder how and why he’s not a bigger proposition in the great musical scheme of singer-songwriter things."
That still stands (although extensive support gigs, headline touring in the UK and tours in Germany and other parts of Europe point to an artist who’s doing OK, thank you), but you also have to consider music is but one string to Robert Lane's bow, sorry, guitar.
The multi-disciplined Lane is also a theatre and film actor, founding member of comedy improvisation group Improv Wolves and host of The Robert Lane Creative Careers Podcast.
Those acting and comedic skills can be seen in Sam and Dan Get Lost, a partly improvised comedy drama that Lane also wrote the music for (the film won Best Midlands Feature Film at the 2021 Midlands Movies Awards).
He's also found time to move and get work done in his house ("from wreck to home" as Lane describes it), including a "creative room" where most of the new solo album, fittingly called Homeworking, was recorded. (One of the many two-years-in-the-making-through-lockdowns-and-lack-of-gigs albums that surfaced in 2022).
While this fourth offering from Robert Lane (following two previous solo albums and an extended EP) is not as immediately accessible as Only a Flight Away, it’s sits upon a wider singer-songwriter canvas and benefits from multiple plays; there’s also a discernible, quirky charm threaded through many of the twelve tracks, along with the more reflective, introspective and soul-baring pieces that the best singer-songwriter albums should not be without.
Opener 'Somewhere in the Dark' has a mellotron (or mellotron effect) sharing space with guitars, bass and drums, giving it a 60s psychedelic charm, while the quirkier nature of the album can be heard on following number 'Pass The Day,' which has an early 70s/ post-Beatles McCartney vibe.
Indeed there’s a light and airy 70s pop sensibility about much of this album – to the degree that you wouldn’t be surprised to have heard the likes of the aforementioned Macca, Ray Davies, Gilbert O’Sullivan or a softer sounding Pilot delivering some of these songs back in the more intelligent and cerebral pop day.
The more plaintive or downtempo side of Robert Lane can be heard on songs such as 'So Many Songs,' the acoustic based melancholy of 'Sick Of Me' and the singer-songwriter blues of 'Wait So Long,' while interlude contrast is supplied by short & dreamy instrumental piece 'Clean Echoes.'
The acoustically delicate title track isn’t, as one might expect, a lyrical diary of the house moves and alterations but a comforting love song; a reflection on being thankful for what we have "in the here and now" and being with the one you love ("all I am, all that I am for, is to try and love you a little more… the life I build along with you").
The album closes out on another acoustic number, the lyrically humorous 'Christmas 2020 This Year is Absurd,' which it certainly was for many a family restricted and/ or house-bound by lockdown ("Santa is on furlough and the elves are all working from home").
Robert Lane wrote and performed every song other than alt-folk/ light-rock number 'Listen In,' co-written with Matthew Pinfield, who features on guitar, drums and backing vocals (Pinfield also features on impressive ballad 'A Lover or a Friend').
It's also an album that helps define the musical and emotional character of Rober Lane – if only all homeworking was this productive and positive.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase CD or download Homeworking from: https://robertlane.bandcamp.com/album/homeworking
Merch and previous releases: https://www.robertlanemusic.co.uk/shop
"When you listen to, and appreciate, the quality of Lane’s third offering you wonder how and why he’s not a bigger proposition in the great musical scheme of singer-songwriter things."
That still stands (although extensive support gigs, headline touring in the UK and tours in Germany and other parts of Europe point to an artist who’s doing OK, thank you), but you also have to consider music is but one string to Robert Lane's bow, sorry, guitar.
The multi-disciplined Lane is also a theatre and film actor, founding member of comedy improvisation group Improv Wolves and host of The Robert Lane Creative Careers Podcast.
Those acting and comedic skills can be seen in Sam and Dan Get Lost, a partly improvised comedy drama that Lane also wrote the music for (the film won Best Midlands Feature Film at the 2021 Midlands Movies Awards).
He's also found time to move and get work done in his house ("from wreck to home" as Lane describes it), including a "creative room" where most of the new solo album, fittingly called Homeworking, was recorded. (One of the many two-years-in-the-making-through-lockdowns-and-lack-of-gigs albums that surfaced in 2022).
While this fourth offering from Robert Lane (following two previous solo albums and an extended EP) is not as immediately accessible as Only a Flight Away, it’s sits upon a wider singer-songwriter canvas and benefits from multiple plays; there’s also a discernible, quirky charm threaded through many of the twelve tracks, along with the more reflective, introspective and soul-baring pieces that the best singer-songwriter albums should not be without.
Opener 'Somewhere in the Dark' has a mellotron (or mellotron effect) sharing space with guitars, bass and drums, giving it a 60s psychedelic charm, while the quirkier nature of the album can be heard on following number 'Pass The Day,' which has an early 70s/ post-Beatles McCartney vibe.
Indeed there’s a light and airy 70s pop sensibility about much of this album – to the degree that you wouldn’t be surprised to have heard the likes of the aforementioned Macca, Ray Davies, Gilbert O’Sullivan or a softer sounding Pilot delivering some of these songs back in the more intelligent and cerebral pop day.
The more plaintive or downtempo side of Robert Lane can be heard on songs such as 'So Many Songs,' the acoustic based melancholy of 'Sick Of Me' and the singer-songwriter blues of 'Wait So Long,' while interlude contrast is supplied by short & dreamy instrumental piece 'Clean Echoes.'
The acoustically delicate title track isn’t, as one might expect, a lyrical diary of the house moves and alterations but a comforting love song; a reflection on being thankful for what we have "in the here and now" and being with the one you love ("all I am, all that I am for, is to try and love you a little more… the life I build along with you").
The album closes out on another acoustic number, the lyrically humorous 'Christmas 2020 This Year is Absurd,' which it certainly was for many a family restricted and/ or house-bound by lockdown ("Santa is on furlough and the elves are all working from home").
Robert Lane wrote and performed every song other than alt-folk/ light-rock number 'Listen In,' co-written with Matthew Pinfield, who features on guitar, drums and backing vocals (Pinfield also features on impressive ballad 'A Lover or a Friend').
It's also an album that helps define the musical and emotional character of Rober Lane – if only all homeworking was this productive and positive.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase CD or download Homeworking from: https://robertlane.bandcamp.com/album/homeworking
Merch and previous releases: https://www.robertlanemusic.co.uk/shop
Lettuce – Unify
Unify is a clever triple-meaning title from Boston-based funk outfit Lettuce.
The band’s eighth album is a truly collaborative effort, with the sextet – Adam Deitch (drums), Ryan Zoidis (saxophone), Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff (guitar), Erick "Jesus" Coomes (bass), Nigel Hall (keys), Eric "Benny" Bloom (trumpet) – working as a team like never before.
Ironically/perversely, they were all in separate places due to Covid and lockdown while becoming even more aware of the political divide in their country.
The results are a band that truly needed to unify, collectively.
The album, which is primarily instrumental, veers between the woozy and up-tempo, nodding to old-school 70s / 80s influenced funk and a few short/ vignette pieces (that are, frankly, throwaway/ unnecessary).
One would also conjecture they may be influenced by plants other than Lettuce, evidenced by some of the looser vibes in their music. That's not to say the band isn’t tight, they can whip it up a storm as proven on many of the numbers.
Opener 'RVA Dance' evokes acid-jazz with a bit of Prince thrown into the mix. This is dance music at the core and of a high standard; there’s also an outstanding sax solo by Ryan Zoidis to be heard before Adam Smirnoff gets in on the act with an effected trumpet solo towards the end.
Following number ‘Keep That Funk Alive,' featuring the legendary Bootsy Collins, is straight from the Parliament/ Funkadelic/ George Clinton playbook. It’s likeable in that it’s a non-pretentious take on the sub-genre with lots of "Say What!?" thrown in for good measure.
The sparser 'Waffles' has a funk backbone but the number is an overly repetitive and laboured let-down after the opening two numbers.
Matters are rectified however by the positivity of 'Everything’s Gonna Be Alright' (featuring Nick Daniels); a superior, 70s influenced funk workout, Erick Coomes delivers a suitably funky slap bass line as the song grooves along in the manner of latter day Was (Not Was) meets AWB.
'The Lock' (featuring Jeff Lockhart on guitar) is another that sits firmly in funk territory; this is the band at their best and an album highlight.
The commercial 'Change the World’ is another strong effort, right from its opening funk guitar riff. The song, which is almost like a number by the Isley Brothers, progresses towards a memorable chorus with some excellent vocals.
The horn-driven 'Gravy Train' reminds once again of AWB while Adam Smirnoff delivers a spirited guitar solo (see what I did there?).
By contrast ‘Shine’ is a down-tempo, woozy number (a la 'Café Del Mar') that evokes images of beachside bars and, again, leaves other than lettuce; it’s slightly repetitive but it’s one of the better numbers on the album.
A gospel-sounding organ introduces ‘Get it Together,’ which is both funky and busy with superior chorus and bridge sections. It doesn’t quite ‘hang together’ (excuse the pun) but it certainly has appeal.
'Let the World Know' returns to mid-paced, Prince-funk territory and it just works well. By the time the sparse lyrics are introduced we’re once again in George Clinton-land, whilst sax and trumpet solos soar over the funk backbeat. Excellent stuff and the best song on the album.
Sadly closing number 'Insta-classic' – a meandering, six-and-a-half minute ska/reggae hybrid with guitar figures that annoy rather than inspire – doesn’t do what it says on its title.
Unify is a lengthy, 70+ minutes album that, funky truth be told, suffers slightly as a result.
With some judicious lettuce pruning this could have been an extremely good album that played to the strengths of the band - however, there is more than enough good material here to keep the funk fan/ listener satisfied whilst the band employ their slogan of "Let us play!" (I see what you did there, boys).
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
The band’s eighth album is a truly collaborative effort, with the sextet – Adam Deitch (drums), Ryan Zoidis (saxophone), Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff (guitar), Erick "Jesus" Coomes (bass), Nigel Hall (keys), Eric "Benny" Bloom (trumpet) – working as a team like never before.
Ironically/perversely, they were all in separate places due to Covid and lockdown while becoming even more aware of the political divide in their country.
The results are a band that truly needed to unify, collectively.
The album, which is primarily instrumental, veers between the woozy and up-tempo, nodding to old-school 70s / 80s influenced funk and a few short/ vignette pieces (that are, frankly, throwaway/ unnecessary).
One would also conjecture they may be influenced by plants other than Lettuce, evidenced by some of the looser vibes in their music. That's not to say the band isn’t tight, they can whip it up a storm as proven on many of the numbers.
Opener 'RVA Dance' evokes acid-jazz with a bit of Prince thrown into the mix. This is dance music at the core and of a high standard; there’s also an outstanding sax solo by Ryan Zoidis to be heard before Adam Smirnoff gets in on the act with an effected trumpet solo towards the end.
Following number ‘Keep That Funk Alive,' featuring the legendary Bootsy Collins, is straight from the Parliament/ Funkadelic/ George Clinton playbook. It’s likeable in that it’s a non-pretentious take on the sub-genre with lots of "Say What!?" thrown in for good measure.
The sparser 'Waffles' has a funk backbone but the number is an overly repetitive and laboured let-down after the opening two numbers.
Matters are rectified however by the positivity of 'Everything’s Gonna Be Alright' (featuring Nick Daniels); a superior, 70s influenced funk workout, Erick Coomes delivers a suitably funky slap bass line as the song grooves along in the manner of latter day Was (Not Was) meets AWB.
'The Lock' (featuring Jeff Lockhart on guitar) is another that sits firmly in funk territory; this is the band at their best and an album highlight.
The commercial 'Change the World’ is another strong effort, right from its opening funk guitar riff. The song, which is almost like a number by the Isley Brothers, progresses towards a memorable chorus with some excellent vocals.
The horn-driven 'Gravy Train' reminds once again of AWB while Adam Smirnoff delivers a spirited guitar solo (see what I did there?).
By contrast ‘Shine’ is a down-tempo, woozy number (a la 'Café Del Mar') that evokes images of beachside bars and, again, leaves other than lettuce; it’s slightly repetitive but it’s one of the better numbers on the album.
A gospel-sounding organ introduces ‘Get it Together,’ which is both funky and busy with superior chorus and bridge sections. It doesn’t quite ‘hang together’ (excuse the pun) but it certainly has appeal.
'Let the World Know' returns to mid-paced, Prince-funk territory and it just works well. By the time the sparse lyrics are introduced we’re once again in George Clinton-land, whilst sax and trumpet solos soar over the funk backbeat. Excellent stuff and the best song on the album.
Sadly closing number 'Insta-classic' – a meandering, six-and-a-half minute ska/reggae hybrid with guitar figures that annoy rather than inspire – doesn’t do what it says on its title.
Unify is a lengthy, 70+ minutes album that, funky truth be told, suffers slightly as a result.
With some judicious lettuce pruning this could have been an extremely good album that played to the strengths of the band - however, there is more than enough good material here to keep the funk fan/ listener satisfied whilst the band employ their slogan of "Let us play!" (I see what you did there, boys).
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Andy Lindquist – My Name is Mud; And They Say Zombies Isn't Real
Your Mother’s Eyes; Let's Burn it Down
Your Mother’s Eyes; Let's Burn it Down
Another year, another new blues album from Florida based singer-songwriter-multi-genre musician Andy Lindquist.
As a reliable statement it’s also a comforting thought, much like the musical equivalent of putting on your favourite overcoat – the ridiculously prolific Andy Lindquist is having a bad year if he doesn’t write, record and release four albums, as a base minimum, annually.
Additionally, given his love for the blues (and the fact he’s lived ‘em through many aspects of his life), one, if not more, of those yearly releases is guaranteed to be built around his brand of Lindquist-ised blues.
And to be fair if you open with a short but boisterous blues boogie entitled 'Whatever Lifts Your Kilt' (steady, laddie) you’re on to a north-of-the-blues-border winner before you even get near any of the following fourteen tracks that make up My Name is Mud.
Of those fourteen, various styled blues-hewn numbers, there’s far more stand-outs than safe sounding staples in amongst them.
The Andy Lindquists trait of always finding the good in the bad, or taking the positive from a negative event, is to the lyrical fore in the melodic blues of 'Silver Linings' (similar optimism is heard on the funk-slanted groove that drives 'Blues Remedy'); the swampier, slide cryin’ lost soul blues of 'The Devil’s Mast' is as thick in guitar sound as is the "River Styx mud" of the story-line; the riff and stomp of 'The Barrell in my Bones' is a devil of a song; the blues then come calling on the spaciously arranged 'When You’re Yesterday’s News. '
Elsewhere 'That Old Crow' doesn’t so much fly as shuffle through the whisky & old distillery of that name while the title track, a slow 12 bar, is seen & heard through the questioning smart-mouthery of a younger Andy Lindquist.
Current divisive affairs are then questioned by the present-day Lindquist in the thick-riffed guitar heavy stomp of 'Things Could Be a Whole Lot Better.'
The conundrum with Andy Lindquist, and it’s especially prevalent/ noticeable in blues mode, is that being a solo recording artist (in every way – all vocals & instrumentation, recording, production, mixing – the whole nine studio yards) leads to a very scripted sound, especially in vocal arrangements and favoured call-and-answer remarks (how many "sho’nuff"s are e’nuff, y’all?)
But it’s a template sound that succeeds because Andy Lindquist is to true himself, to his craft and, more importantly, in the truth of his blues (particularly in the lyrical honesty of a song such as the piano backed, blues-soulful 'The Truth Hurts').
As a reliable statement it’s also a comforting thought, much like the musical equivalent of putting on your favourite overcoat – the ridiculously prolific Andy Lindquist is having a bad year if he doesn’t write, record and release four albums, as a base minimum, annually.
Additionally, given his love for the blues (and the fact he’s lived ‘em through many aspects of his life), one, if not more, of those yearly releases is guaranteed to be built around his brand of Lindquist-ised blues.
And to be fair if you open with a short but boisterous blues boogie entitled 'Whatever Lifts Your Kilt' (steady, laddie) you’re on to a north-of-the-blues-border winner before you even get near any of the following fourteen tracks that make up My Name is Mud.
Of those fourteen, various styled blues-hewn numbers, there’s far more stand-outs than safe sounding staples in amongst them.
The Andy Lindquists trait of always finding the good in the bad, or taking the positive from a negative event, is to the lyrical fore in the melodic blues of 'Silver Linings' (similar optimism is heard on the funk-slanted groove that drives 'Blues Remedy'); the swampier, slide cryin’ lost soul blues of 'The Devil’s Mast' is as thick in guitar sound as is the "River Styx mud" of the story-line; the riff and stomp of 'The Barrell in my Bones' is a devil of a song; the blues then come calling on the spaciously arranged 'When You’re Yesterday’s News. '
Elsewhere 'That Old Crow' doesn’t so much fly as shuffle through the whisky & old distillery of that name while the title track, a slow 12 bar, is seen & heard through the questioning smart-mouthery of a younger Andy Lindquist.
Current divisive affairs are then questioned by the present-day Lindquist in the thick-riffed guitar heavy stomp of 'Things Could Be a Whole Lot Better.'
The conundrum with Andy Lindquist, and it’s especially prevalent/ noticeable in blues mode, is that being a solo recording artist (in every way – all vocals & instrumentation, recording, production, mixing – the whole nine studio yards) leads to a very scripted sound, especially in vocal arrangements and favoured call-and-answer remarks (how many "sho’nuff"s are e’nuff, y’all?)
But it’s a template sound that succeeds because Andy Lindquist is to true himself, to his craft and, more importantly, in the truth of his blues (particularly in the lyrical honesty of a song such as the piano backed, blues-soulful 'The Truth Hurts').
While blues such as found on the ...Mud album is unarguably where a large part of Andy Lindquist’s music loving heart (usually worn on his sleeve) resides, he has also recorded and released a large catalogue of material across many a genre including throwback/ melodic pop, soul, funk, hard rock, instrumental, Christian, a little Celtic and a splash of jazz.
Then there’s those aforementioned heart on his sleeve moments coupled with personal overview lyricism – both the observational (the world’s continuing journey toward Hell in handbasket) and the directly affecting.
The former is the catalyst that drives heavy-pop/ rock album And They Say Zombie Isn’t Real, which flits from angrier edged, melodically shaped rock and roll ('Slow Your Sugar Down' is one such highlight) to Cheap Trick-styled heavy-pop.
The late 70s poppery of 'Color Of My Heart' and the slower groove of the grittier title track are Trick’d up cases in point, the latter bolstered by a "drink that Kool Aid until you burst" lyricism that takes aim at the blowhards "who seem to know everything." The reality of course, outside of their own delusions, is they know very little;
something Andy Lindquist is more than happy to point out.
Many of the song titles point toward the edgier and fiery lyrical direction of the album, such as the thicker blues-rock of anti-racism number 'Pumping Blood,' the quirky "yee-haw!" pop of ‘Fox in the Hen House’ and big-beat album closer ‘Square Peg’.
While finger pointing and highlighting the world’s ills are almost constant staple of the lyricism, musical contrast is provided through songs such as five-and-half minute Lennon-esque ballad 'Bleeding Bleeding Heart,' the jangle-pop positivity of 'Turn the World On its Ear' and the pop-tastic ‘Inside From the Outside’ (think a slightly trippy Crosby, Stills & Nash).
Then there’s those aforementioned heart on his sleeve moments coupled with personal overview lyricism – both the observational (the world’s continuing journey toward Hell in handbasket) and the directly affecting.
The former is the catalyst that drives heavy-pop/ rock album And They Say Zombie Isn’t Real, which flits from angrier edged, melodically shaped rock and roll ('Slow Your Sugar Down' is one such highlight) to Cheap Trick-styled heavy-pop.
The late 70s poppery of 'Color Of My Heart' and the slower groove of the grittier title track are Trick’d up cases in point, the latter bolstered by a "drink that Kool Aid until you burst" lyricism that takes aim at the blowhards "who seem to know everything." The reality of course, outside of their own delusions, is they know very little;
something Andy Lindquist is more than happy to point out.
Many of the song titles point toward the edgier and fiery lyrical direction of the album, such as the thicker blues-rock of anti-racism number 'Pumping Blood,' the quirky "yee-haw!" pop of ‘Fox in the Hen House’ and big-beat album closer ‘Square Peg’.
While finger pointing and highlighting the world’s ills are almost constant staple of the lyricism, musical contrast is provided through songs such as five-and-half minute Lennon-esque ballad 'Bleeding Bleeding Heart,' the jangle-pop positivity of 'Turn the World On its Ear' and the pop-tastic ‘Inside From the Outside’ (think a slightly trippy Crosby, Stills & Nash).
The more contemplative Your Mother’s Eyes is by far the most personal album Andy Lindquist has ever released.
Lindquist has been honest enough pre-release to confirm the album and its not insignificant title, (which has a very different meaning when hearing the brooding, rock-pop title track) were born out of recent, poignant reflections on a now adult daughter he hasn’t seen, through no fault of his own, since she was a child (the aforementioned title track acts a musical letter to his daughter).
Such reflections off-shoot into other personal and familial outpourings – the acoustic-led charm of 'Goodbye Mother' (with lovely George Harrison-esque lead guitar outro) belies a sarcastic-tinged lyric that is clearly cathartic; by contrast 'Brick' is an uplifting, piano backed soul-rock "love at first sight" celebration of the night Andy Lindquist met the woman who would become his wife.
Other highlights include the percussive pop meets Zeppelin rock outro of 'The Lord Give Me That' (there’s more Zeppelin to be heard within 'War Gears') and the atmospherically arranged, keyboard textured and subtle (but beautifully effective) bass lines that shape the seven-and-a-half minute 'Digital Dust.'
The melancholic latter, which might just be the best song Andy Lindquist has ever written, leads directly to the similarly paced 'The Third Rail' (another that seems to be as cathartic lyrically as it is expressive in the melodic guitar lines).
A couple of later tracks stray off the path of melancholy into the maudlin gloom, but that's somewhat inevitable, given where Andy Lindquist was emotionally when he wrote and recorded this album.
(Album closer, the soul-baring ballad 'It’s in the Marrow,' balances delicately between both).
Your Mother's Eyes isn't likely to be touted as one of Andy Lindquist’s best ever albums (it does however contain some of his best ever material), but it’s an album he absolutely had to make.
Lindquist has been honest enough pre-release to confirm the album and its not insignificant title, (which has a very different meaning when hearing the brooding, rock-pop title track) were born out of recent, poignant reflections on a now adult daughter he hasn’t seen, through no fault of his own, since she was a child (the aforementioned title track acts a musical letter to his daughter).
Such reflections off-shoot into other personal and familial outpourings – the acoustic-led charm of 'Goodbye Mother' (with lovely George Harrison-esque lead guitar outro) belies a sarcastic-tinged lyric that is clearly cathartic; by contrast 'Brick' is an uplifting, piano backed soul-rock "love at first sight" celebration of the night Andy Lindquist met the woman who would become his wife.
Other highlights include the percussive pop meets Zeppelin rock outro of 'The Lord Give Me That' (there’s more Zeppelin to be heard within 'War Gears') and the atmospherically arranged, keyboard textured and subtle (but beautifully effective) bass lines that shape the seven-and-a-half minute 'Digital Dust.'
The melancholic latter, which might just be the best song Andy Lindquist has ever written, leads directly to the similarly paced 'The Third Rail' (another that seems to be as cathartic lyrically as it is expressive in the melodic guitar lines).
A couple of later tracks stray off the path of melancholy into the maudlin gloom, but that's somewhat inevitable, given where Andy Lindquist was emotionally when he wrote and recorded this album.
(Album closer, the soul-baring ballad 'It’s in the Marrow,' balances delicately between both).
Your Mother's Eyes isn't likely to be touted as one of Andy Lindquist’s best ever albums (it does however contain some of his best ever material), but it’s an album he absolutely had to make.
Andy Lindquist’s 90th album (that’s right, ninetieth) sits, like My Name is Mud, four square on, and in, the blues.
Let’s Burn it Down is also his most soul-searching and personal blues album to date; lyrically it leans towards the current un-United States he lives in and the issues of race and racism, personal observation and the bigger global picture.
The opening title track is a case in going-in-the-wrong-direction point.
A slower soul-blues that cries out with one of Andy Lindquist’s most impassioned vocals and guitar solos, 'Let’s Burn it Down' unashamedly looks to Lindquist's own beliefs and disappointment in where his country seems to be heading.
More traditional blues (in terms of the Floridian based Lindquist’s go-to influences) follow in the swampy vibe shape of 'That Train Don’t Run Here No More' and the perfectly named 'Blue Tail Stomp' (which does exactly what it says on the title).
As the album progresses all the Andy Lindquist blues traits come calling – '14 Stone' carries the weighty shuffle muscle of its title; 'Liquid Mile' mixes a little ZZ boogie with bigger rock-blues choruses; 'This Blue Moon' is, lyrically, a melancholic and personal introspective but musically is a lovely Nashville/ country styled blues.
And then there’s 'Gator Got Your Tongue,' a snappy (I thank you) and short number that lyrically references the old adage "with friends like you who needs enemies" but also takes inspiration from the 14 foot monster gator found in Andy Lindquist’s local canal.
Other highlights across the 12 track album include the jaunty boogie of 'The Rhythm of the River' (musically belying its lyrical ode to climate change and giving Mother Nature a helping hand) and guitar rawkin’ closer 'Clarifying Blue' (the first all-instrumental to appear on any of Andy Lindquist’s blues records).
Given the personal and observational nature of Let’s Burn it Down, it’s appropriate there’s a personal touch or three also attached to the cover.
The album photo was shot by Andy Lindquist’s son Gabriel, while the guitar sported by Lindquist is his faithful "Old #2," the second guitar he ever made (he is also a luthier) and still uses/ plays live.
More poignant however is the ‘house number’ plate on the guitar, which originates from his old home in Grand Forks, North Dakota (peeled off after the devastating Red River of the North flood in 1997).
Which leads to this reviewer's own observation that we really need final comment from the man himself:
"I am still that working class kid from that working class neighborhood, and I proudly wear my stripes.
We are where we came from."
That Andy Lindquist also came from the blues is not in question.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
For all things Andy Lindquist head to: https://andylindquist.rocks/
Let’s Burn it Down is also his most soul-searching and personal blues album to date; lyrically it leans towards the current un-United States he lives in and the issues of race and racism, personal observation and the bigger global picture.
The opening title track is a case in going-in-the-wrong-direction point.
A slower soul-blues that cries out with one of Andy Lindquist’s most impassioned vocals and guitar solos, 'Let’s Burn it Down' unashamedly looks to Lindquist's own beliefs and disappointment in where his country seems to be heading.
More traditional blues (in terms of the Floridian based Lindquist’s go-to influences) follow in the swampy vibe shape of 'That Train Don’t Run Here No More' and the perfectly named 'Blue Tail Stomp' (which does exactly what it says on the title).
As the album progresses all the Andy Lindquist blues traits come calling – '14 Stone' carries the weighty shuffle muscle of its title; 'Liquid Mile' mixes a little ZZ boogie with bigger rock-blues choruses; 'This Blue Moon' is, lyrically, a melancholic and personal introspective but musically is a lovely Nashville/ country styled blues.
And then there’s 'Gator Got Your Tongue,' a snappy (I thank you) and short number that lyrically references the old adage "with friends like you who needs enemies" but also takes inspiration from the 14 foot monster gator found in Andy Lindquist’s local canal.
Other highlights across the 12 track album include the jaunty boogie of 'The Rhythm of the River' (musically belying its lyrical ode to climate change and giving Mother Nature a helping hand) and guitar rawkin’ closer 'Clarifying Blue' (the first all-instrumental to appear on any of Andy Lindquist’s blues records).
Given the personal and observational nature of Let’s Burn it Down, it’s appropriate there’s a personal touch or three also attached to the cover.
The album photo was shot by Andy Lindquist’s son Gabriel, while the guitar sported by Lindquist is his faithful "Old #2," the second guitar he ever made (he is also a luthier) and still uses/ plays live.
More poignant however is the ‘house number’ plate on the guitar, which originates from his old home in Grand Forks, North Dakota (peeled off after the devastating Red River of the North flood in 1997).
Which leads to this reviewer's own observation that we really need final comment from the man himself:
"I am still that working class kid from that working class neighborhood, and I proudly wear my stripes.
We are where we came from."
That Andy Lindquist also came from the blues is not in question.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
For all things Andy Lindquist head to: https://andylindquist.rocks/
Lawnmower Deth – Blunt Cutters
Early 90s thrash-metal/ punk band Lawnmower Deth can
be described in two songs and 23 seconds from their 1990 full-length debut album – the straight-to-the-8-second point 'Punk as Fuck' and the 15 second helium voiced cover of toy-advert song 'Weebles Wobble But Don’t Fall down.'
(The band enjoyed thrashing (in every sense) out a few covers – Motörhead’s self-titled anthem, 'Up the Junction' by Squeeze, 'Crazy Horses' by The Osmonds and Kim Wilde’s 'Kids in America' all got Lawnmowered to Deth).
Not every song was short, sharp mental metal however.
Lawnmower Deth became more of a three-minutes-a-pop punk band, but like the majority of their songs it was all relatively short-lived; they disbanded not long after the release of their third album, Billy, which was released in 1993.
Flash forward fifteen years to 2008 and a reunited Lawnmower Deth playing what was supposed to be a one off gig supporting Bullet for My Valentine.
Perhaps inevitably however there followed yearly appearances at just about every major metal event you care to mention including Download (six times) and Bloodstock (three times); equally inevitably the band released a pop-metal Crimble single in 2017 with major fan Kim Wilde, endearingly entitled 'F U Kristmas!'
And, now, the first album from Lawnmower Deth in nigh on thirty years, Blunt Cutters, an album that proves they haven’t lost their enthusiasm for full throttle, 100 miles per mosh pit hour.
Nor have the band (Pete Lee - vocals, Steve Nesfield & Gavin "Paddy" O'Malley - guitars, Chris Parkes - bass, Chris Billam (who joined in 2017) - drums) lost their sense of humour, as heard on bludgeoning opener 'Into the Pit' where Pete Lee invites "Geriatrics, into the pit!" followed by backing shouts of "Slip! Your! Disc!"
That, older punkettes and middle-age metal-men, is knowing your audience.
Meanwhile the ridiculously fast and stupidly furious 'I Don’t Want To' and 'Botheration' (the latter is another for the oldies - "we’re too old to really bother!") don’t make three minutes combined while 'Good Morning, Phil' (if Derek and Clive did thrash metal) is over in less than a minute, as is companion piece 'Goodnight, Bob' and the punk thrash of 'Space Herpes.'
All three are outdone in the lack of seconds stake by the rampant stop-start of 'Swarfega' (27 seconds) and the quick questioning 'Christ Options' (24 seconds).
There are longer songs, however, including the four-minutes of hilarious (check out the accompanying video) power-thrash that is 'Raise Your Snails' (if Lemmy had fronted Bad News), the similarly bonkers 'Deth! Maim! Kill!', which is about as thrash-in-cheek as you’re ever likely to hear and 'Nothing But Noise,' a bass rattling Motörhead styled rage that lyrically savages the social media influencers "promoting self-worth" in under two-minutes. Brilliant.
The best is left to last however with near five-minute album closer 'Agency of C.O.B,' a genuinely interesting number that’s akin to a metal-edged Hawkwind with a dark, future days spoken narrative.
18 songs in 34 minutes in none-too-serious but furious metal-thrash-punk fashion; now why do I suddenly have the urge to attach scythe blades to the lawnmower and blitz the front grass in under two minutes?
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
be described in two songs and 23 seconds from their 1990 full-length debut album – the straight-to-the-8-second point 'Punk as Fuck' and the 15 second helium voiced cover of toy-advert song 'Weebles Wobble But Don’t Fall down.'
(The band enjoyed thrashing (in every sense) out a few covers – Motörhead’s self-titled anthem, 'Up the Junction' by Squeeze, 'Crazy Horses' by The Osmonds and Kim Wilde’s 'Kids in America' all got Lawnmowered to Deth).
Not every song was short, sharp mental metal however.
Lawnmower Deth became more of a three-minutes-a-pop punk band, but like the majority of their songs it was all relatively short-lived; they disbanded not long after the release of their third album, Billy, which was released in 1993.
Flash forward fifteen years to 2008 and a reunited Lawnmower Deth playing what was supposed to be a one off gig supporting Bullet for My Valentine.
Perhaps inevitably however there followed yearly appearances at just about every major metal event you care to mention including Download (six times) and Bloodstock (three times); equally inevitably the band released a pop-metal Crimble single in 2017 with major fan Kim Wilde, endearingly entitled 'F U Kristmas!'
And, now, the first album from Lawnmower Deth in nigh on thirty years, Blunt Cutters, an album that proves they haven’t lost their enthusiasm for full throttle, 100 miles per mosh pit hour.
Nor have the band (Pete Lee - vocals, Steve Nesfield & Gavin "Paddy" O'Malley - guitars, Chris Parkes - bass, Chris Billam (who joined in 2017) - drums) lost their sense of humour, as heard on bludgeoning opener 'Into the Pit' where Pete Lee invites "Geriatrics, into the pit!" followed by backing shouts of "Slip! Your! Disc!"
That, older punkettes and middle-age metal-men, is knowing your audience.
Meanwhile the ridiculously fast and stupidly furious 'I Don’t Want To' and 'Botheration' (the latter is another for the oldies - "we’re too old to really bother!") don’t make three minutes combined while 'Good Morning, Phil' (if Derek and Clive did thrash metal) is over in less than a minute, as is companion piece 'Goodnight, Bob' and the punk thrash of 'Space Herpes.'
All three are outdone in the lack of seconds stake by the rampant stop-start of 'Swarfega' (27 seconds) and the quick questioning 'Christ Options' (24 seconds).
There are longer songs, however, including the four-minutes of hilarious (check out the accompanying video) power-thrash that is 'Raise Your Snails' (if Lemmy had fronted Bad News), the similarly bonkers 'Deth! Maim! Kill!', which is about as thrash-in-cheek as you’re ever likely to hear and 'Nothing But Noise,' a bass rattling Motörhead styled rage that lyrically savages the social media influencers "promoting self-worth" in under two-minutes. Brilliant.
The best is left to last however with near five-minute album closer 'Agency of C.O.B,' a genuinely interesting number that’s akin to a metal-edged Hawkwind with a dark, future days spoken narrative.
18 songs in 34 minutes in none-too-serious but furious metal-thrash-punk fashion; now why do I suddenly have the urge to attach scythe blades to the lawnmower and blitz the front grass in under two minutes?
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Malone Sibun – Ashes To Dust EP
Two years on from impressive debut album Come Together, from the equally impressive pairing of Marcus Malone (vocals, guitar) and Innes Sibun (guitars), comes 4-track EP Ashes to Dust, where Messrs Malone & Sibun are joined by band mates Kevin O’Rourke (drums), Roger Innis (bass) and keyboard players Tim Blackmore and Moz Gamble.
Opening with 'Makin’ It,' the band are in high gear early on a purposely voiced boogie-shuffle that grooves (courtesy of a bouncing and bubbly bass line from Roger Innis) as much as it rocks, complete with feisty, wah-driven licks and later solo from Innes Sibun.
The EP’s title track makes similar impact, but here in a more Hendrix meets contemporary blues rock style;
the song features a simple, repeating riff motif that refuses to let go and contrasting slow, soulful and sentimental love-lasts-forever chorus ("ashes to dust, our love will never fade away").
The cover of the classic Willie Dixon number isn’t as 'Evil' as Dixon’s original but what it lacks in sinister it more than makes up for in its short, sharp three minutes of rockin’ stop-time sizzle (and impressive rhythm work from Roger Innis & Kevin O’Rourke).
Such evil is tempered by the contrasting and delightful 'Restless Heart,' a rootsy and folksy Dobro led number that includes subtle organ accompaniment from Moz Gamble.
For those that want even more Malone Sibun blues rock bang for their buck, you can make the 4-track EP a
6-pack of Malone Sibun musical muscle by grabbing a copy of various artists 'lockdown album' Electric Blues Mates (released at the end of 2020), or download/ stream the two Malone Sibun tracks that feature – the slow ‘n’ swampy slide blues of 'Jealous Kind' and the funkier (here with a soupçon of Santana) 'Born For the Blues' (a cover of "Reverend" Rusty Stone’s Muddy Waters tribute).
Whether you choose to play it four square or hit the Malone Sibun play button for six, it all bodes well for the next full-length album.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Opening with 'Makin’ It,' the band are in high gear early on a purposely voiced boogie-shuffle that grooves (courtesy of a bouncing and bubbly bass line from Roger Innis) as much as it rocks, complete with feisty, wah-driven licks and later solo from Innes Sibun.
The EP’s title track makes similar impact, but here in a more Hendrix meets contemporary blues rock style;
the song features a simple, repeating riff motif that refuses to let go and contrasting slow, soulful and sentimental love-lasts-forever chorus ("ashes to dust, our love will never fade away").
The cover of the classic Willie Dixon number isn’t as 'Evil' as Dixon’s original but what it lacks in sinister it more than makes up for in its short, sharp three minutes of rockin’ stop-time sizzle (and impressive rhythm work from Roger Innis & Kevin O’Rourke).
Such evil is tempered by the contrasting and delightful 'Restless Heart,' a rootsy and folksy Dobro led number that includes subtle organ accompaniment from Moz Gamble.
For those that want even more Malone Sibun blues rock bang for their buck, you can make the 4-track EP a
6-pack of Malone Sibun musical muscle by grabbing a copy of various artists 'lockdown album' Electric Blues Mates (released at the end of 2020), or download/ stream the two Malone Sibun tracks that feature – the slow ‘n’ swampy slide blues of 'Jealous Kind' and the funkier (here with a soupçon of Santana) 'Born For the Blues' (a cover of "Reverend" Rusty Stone’s Muddy Waters tribute).
Whether you choose to play it four square or hit the Malone Sibun play button for six, it all bodes well for the next full-length album.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Malt Town - The Long Road
It’s always a pleasure when something slips in under the radar or out of left field – or both.
In this case it’s an album entitled The Long Road under the band name Malt Town, in effect friends and multi-instrumentalist musos Geoge Falconer (drummer in Scottish fusion quartet The Oscar Cordoba Band, here also adding percussion, backing vocals, various keys, mouth organ, arrangements, production, mixing & mastering) and singer & songwriter Robert McMullan (vocals, guitars, banjo, mandolin, calf hide drum, mouth organ).
One of the many lockdown/ home studio albums now seeing the light of day, The Long Road was recorded though 2020 and 2021 with plenty of file sending back and forth between Falconer, McMullan and a collection of guest players that include George Falconer’s Oscar Cordoba bandmates, bassist Nelson McFarlane and keys player Kenneth Clark.
The results are an album that is primarily downtempo/ balladeering yet eclectic and entertaining, put together by musicians who had no expectations beyond the love of writing, arranging, recording and delivering a finished product they could be proud of and that the listener could, and would, enjoy (all boxes ticked).
From the rock and bluesy roll of the drink-a-long 'Malt Town' ("hometown whisky!") to the title track that closes out the album (a midtempo sway-a-long that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Frankie Miller album), The Long Road is worthy of a listen or five.
Between those bookends you will find that aforementioned musical eclecticism through songs such as downtempo piano ballad meets country number 'Crazy Thoughts' (featuring Stewart Logan on pedal steel and a perfectly fitting, forlorn vocal from Robert McMullan) and the slow but ever-shifting musical landscape of seven-minute piece, 'Lonely.'
The short acoustic and slightly country 'She’s Everything' (again featuring Stewart Logan on deft pedal steel) and the melancholic strains of 'What a Shame' provide further contrast, while a true highlight is the folksy charm of 'Port Rush 1964,' a yearning reflection of hard-but-happier times ("tell me where the hope has gone,
I wish it was ‘64 again, I look at the world around me now, it’s all gonna be alright – but not without a fight").
Another standout is the beautifully sad Americana/ Plains number 'Song of Three.'
Primarily a Robert McMullan solo spot, it features little more than acoustic guitar, genuinely touching vocality and late-song tribal drum beat.
The Long Road is a lovely little album that’s driven by passion and art for art's sake, not profit and money for God's sake (perish the thought, or the chances).
For that, I’ll raise a glass of the guid stuff to Malt Town (and any other for-the-love-of-the-music artists) any day of the week.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Hear and purchase The Long Road at https://malttown.bandcamp.com/album/the-long-road
In this case it’s an album entitled The Long Road under the band name Malt Town, in effect friends and multi-instrumentalist musos Geoge Falconer (drummer in Scottish fusion quartet The Oscar Cordoba Band, here also adding percussion, backing vocals, various keys, mouth organ, arrangements, production, mixing & mastering) and singer & songwriter Robert McMullan (vocals, guitars, banjo, mandolin, calf hide drum, mouth organ).
One of the many lockdown/ home studio albums now seeing the light of day, The Long Road was recorded though 2020 and 2021 with plenty of file sending back and forth between Falconer, McMullan and a collection of guest players that include George Falconer’s Oscar Cordoba bandmates, bassist Nelson McFarlane and keys player Kenneth Clark.
The results are an album that is primarily downtempo/ balladeering yet eclectic and entertaining, put together by musicians who had no expectations beyond the love of writing, arranging, recording and delivering a finished product they could be proud of and that the listener could, and would, enjoy (all boxes ticked).
From the rock and bluesy roll of the drink-a-long 'Malt Town' ("hometown whisky!") to the title track that closes out the album (a midtempo sway-a-long that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Frankie Miller album), The Long Road is worthy of a listen or five.
Between those bookends you will find that aforementioned musical eclecticism through songs such as downtempo piano ballad meets country number 'Crazy Thoughts' (featuring Stewart Logan on pedal steel and a perfectly fitting, forlorn vocal from Robert McMullan) and the slow but ever-shifting musical landscape of seven-minute piece, 'Lonely.'
The short acoustic and slightly country 'She’s Everything' (again featuring Stewart Logan on deft pedal steel) and the melancholic strains of 'What a Shame' provide further contrast, while a true highlight is the folksy charm of 'Port Rush 1964,' a yearning reflection of hard-but-happier times ("tell me where the hope has gone,
I wish it was ‘64 again, I look at the world around me now, it’s all gonna be alright – but not without a fight").
Another standout is the beautifully sad Americana/ Plains number 'Song of Three.'
Primarily a Robert McMullan solo spot, it features little more than acoustic guitar, genuinely touching vocality and late-song tribal drum beat.
The Long Road is a lovely little album that’s driven by passion and art for art's sake, not profit and money for God's sake (perish the thought, or the chances).
For that, I’ll raise a glass of the guid stuff to Malt Town (and any other for-the-love-of-the-music artists) any day of the week.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Hear and purchase The Long Road at https://malttown.bandcamp.com/album/the-long-road
Bernie Marsden – Trios
It’s fitting the third instalment of Bernie Marsden’s Inspirations series of cover releases is entitled Trios.
But then that’s exactly what it is – a Bernie Marsden three-piece playing some of their favourite tracks (both bona fide classics and deeper cuts) as made famous, or originally recorded by, now legendary rock/ blues trios of the late 60s and 70s.
What makes this collection of covers all the more interesting is the sessions, recorded for fun back in 2007 by the none-too-shabby trio of Marsden, the late & great Jimmy Copley (drums) and Dave Levy (bass), were shelved and left unmixed.
However sound engineer Steve Rispin (a man who knows his audio balance) kept a rough-mix version of the songs on his hard drive.
Flash forward 14 years and Bernie Marsden finds a CD of those very tracks; he and Steve Rispin transfer them over to Protools, realise just how good they are and, following a great mixing and editing job from Jamie Masters, you have a very tasty Trios offering.
By its very nature Trios is more rock orientated than previous blues-pure Inspirations series offerings Kings and Chess (the titles tell you all you need to know as regards sources of inspiration), which will suit those who prefer when Bernie Marsden turns up the amps and the volume knob to full on 'The Beast' (Marsden’s beloved 1959 Gibson Les Paul; a couple of Fender Strats and a Gibson 335 also feature for full six-string authenticity).
Not that the blues don’t come calling – Blind Joe Reynold’s 'Outside Woman Blues,' as (re)made famous by Cream, is a full fat version of that Creamy blues dollop, while 'Driftin’ Blues,' a deeper Peter Green penned cut by the original Fleetwood Mac (but recorded as a Green-Mick Fleetwood-John McVie trio) does exactly what it says on the tin.
As spacious (but slightly more muscly) as the Mac original, Bernie Marsden is one part emotive and one part expressive on his soloing, plaintively crying atop the slow and steady Copley and Levy rhythm.
But at the Trios core is a rock album with blues influences, heard to fine effect on the Don Nix penned 'Black Cat Moan', made famous by Beck, Bogert & Appice.
Bernie Marsden’s take on the number is as blues-gritty as BB&A’s version, with some syrupy thick and suitably moanin’ slide across the opening riff, followed by some classy and caterwauling (natch) lead work.
Other classic trios honoured in similarly faithful fashion include The James Gang and ‘Funk (actually make that FUNK) #49,’ Taste ('Same Old Story') and Mountain’s ‘Never in My Life’ (a great Marsden vocal here, plus a couple of nice ‘Nantucket’ nods).
There’s also a tip of the guitar to Johnny Winter ('Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo;' the Rick Derringer penned song was also a hit for Derringer himself) and a brace of Jimi Hendrix nuggets.
Trippy and soulful Hendrix ballad 'Drifting' does just that, breezy guitar lines floating alongside reverse guitars (nice touch in retaining that backwards tape trick), while 'Spanish Castle Magic' rocks like the proverbial original.
Bernie Marsden isn’t Jimi Hendrix (who was? #1) but he still gives it the full, unfettered Jimi in impassioned performance.
Similarly Bernie Marsden isn’t Jimmy Dewar (who was? #2), nor, stylistically, Robin Trower, but his lighter vocality flits nicely across 'Too Rolling Stoned' (bolstered by a wicked little solo) while Messrs Copley and Levy lock into the groove; collectively the threesome put the power into power trio on the slower, second half.
'Na Na Na' by Cozy Powell is, in effect, the fun non-trio-cover bonus track.
Its inclusion doubles as a tribute to the late drummer and a nod to Bernie Marsden’s own past – Marsden was a part of Cozy Powell’s Hammer and the Top of The Pops success of the single (mimicked (and appropriately mimed) in the clever 1974/ TOTP styled video).
'Na Na Na' also features Neil Murray guesting on bass, Jimmy Copley giving it the full Cozy and Marsden playing the very guitar he recorded the original with (including a quick-fire 'Dance With the Devil' nod).
Yes, Trios is a very fitting name – because Bernie Marsden’s Inspirations series has, thus far, been a three album win.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But then that’s exactly what it is – a Bernie Marsden three-piece playing some of their favourite tracks (both bona fide classics and deeper cuts) as made famous, or originally recorded by, now legendary rock/ blues trios of the late 60s and 70s.
What makes this collection of covers all the more interesting is the sessions, recorded for fun back in 2007 by the none-too-shabby trio of Marsden, the late & great Jimmy Copley (drums) and Dave Levy (bass), were shelved and left unmixed.
However sound engineer Steve Rispin (a man who knows his audio balance) kept a rough-mix version of the songs on his hard drive.
Flash forward 14 years and Bernie Marsden finds a CD of those very tracks; he and Steve Rispin transfer them over to Protools, realise just how good they are and, following a great mixing and editing job from Jamie Masters, you have a very tasty Trios offering.
By its very nature Trios is more rock orientated than previous blues-pure Inspirations series offerings Kings and Chess (the titles tell you all you need to know as regards sources of inspiration), which will suit those who prefer when Bernie Marsden turns up the amps and the volume knob to full on 'The Beast' (Marsden’s beloved 1959 Gibson Les Paul; a couple of Fender Strats and a Gibson 335 also feature for full six-string authenticity).
Not that the blues don’t come calling – Blind Joe Reynold’s 'Outside Woman Blues,' as (re)made famous by Cream, is a full fat version of that Creamy blues dollop, while 'Driftin’ Blues,' a deeper Peter Green penned cut by the original Fleetwood Mac (but recorded as a Green-Mick Fleetwood-John McVie trio) does exactly what it says on the tin.
As spacious (but slightly more muscly) as the Mac original, Bernie Marsden is one part emotive and one part expressive on his soloing, plaintively crying atop the slow and steady Copley and Levy rhythm.
But at the Trios core is a rock album with blues influences, heard to fine effect on the Don Nix penned 'Black Cat Moan', made famous by Beck, Bogert & Appice.
Bernie Marsden’s take on the number is as blues-gritty as BB&A’s version, with some syrupy thick and suitably moanin’ slide across the opening riff, followed by some classy and caterwauling (natch) lead work.
Other classic trios honoured in similarly faithful fashion include The James Gang and ‘Funk (actually make that FUNK) #49,’ Taste ('Same Old Story') and Mountain’s ‘Never in My Life’ (a great Marsden vocal here, plus a couple of nice ‘Nantucket’ nods).
There’s also a tip of the guitar to Johnny Winter ('Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo;' the Rick Derringer penned song was also a hit for Derringer himself) and a brace of Jimi Hendrix nuggets.
Trippy and soulful Hendrix ballad 'Drifting' does just that, breezy guitar lines floating alongside reverse guitars (nice touch in retaining that backwards tape trick), while 'Spanish Castle Magic' rocks like the proverbial original.
Bernie Marsden isn’t Jimi Hendrix (who was? #1) but he still gives it the full, unfettered Jimi in impassioned performance.
Similarly Bernie Marsden isn’t Jimmy Dewar (who was? #2), nor, stylistically, Robin Trower, but his lighter vocality flits nicely across 'Too Rolling Stoned' (bolstered by a wicked little solo) while Messrs Copley and Levy lock into the groove; collectively the threesome put the power into power trio on the slower, second half.
'Na Na Na' by Cozy Powell is, in effect, the fun non-trio-cover bonus track.
Its inclusion doubles as a tribute to the late drummer and a nod to Bernie Marsden’s own past – Marsden was a part of Cozy Powell’s Hammer and the Top of The Pops success of the single (mimicked (and appropriately mimed) in the clever 1974/ TOTP styled video).
'Na Na Na' also features Neil Murray guesting on bass, Jimmy Copley giving it the full Cozy and Marsden playing the very guitar he recorded the original with (including a quick-fire 'Dance With the Devil' nod).
Yes, Trios is a very fitting name – because Bernie Marsden’s Inspirations series has, thus far, been a three album win.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Jack Mylchreest – In My Stride EP
Jack Mylchreest, a consummate and engaging singer-songwriter-guitarist from the north east of England, has displayed those very traits on his debut EP In My Stride.
A proud north east boy he may be but on opener 'Sober,' Jack Mylchreest could well be plying his musical trade in the southern US or Nashville, given the bluesy vibe (and short ‘n’ tasty blues solo) applied to a song that lyrically tells of the difficulties of watching someone drink their troubles or denials away (it’s hard to watch you suffer, the nights are getting tougher and the morning feels rougher.”)
Following number 'Home For Good' also carries a little blues charm but here it’s more in the style of a soft-waltz ballad that lyrically nods to home being where the heart – and true friendship – both lies and returns to.
'Tryin’' is a lyrically yearning and melodically sweet number that showcases Jack Mylchreest's strengths as a soft-rock singer-songwriter; it's bettered however by 'Safe With You,' a warm, radio friendly slice of anxiety easing Americana-country meeting melodic soft rock that has both universal sentiment and universal appeal.
The piano based 'Wait' showcases another facet of Jack Mylchreest’s songwriting; it also carries some string-backed or string-effect weight, as well as a genuinely heartfelt vocal (no crocodile tear vocality here).
Sixth and final track 'Homesick' is a quintessential acoustic and vocal singer-songwriter song, with musical delicacy and lyrical melancholy in equal measure ("This is my house, not my home… I just want to find someone to call my own").
Earlier in 2022 Jack Mylchreest garnered some wider attention when it was announced Dan Reed was unable to make it to Whitby for a solo show – the crowd asked if Mylchreest would do the gig, having seen him sing a song with Danny Vaughn at Vaughan's own show the night before, which he duly did.
(He also vlogged the sequence of events and put it up on his YouTube channel).
However, in this manufactured day and lowest common denominator age, such fortuitous promotional opportunities and a truly impressive EP don’t guarantee bigger success, nor any Track Of The Week playlisting on the likes of BBC Radio 2 – Jack Mylchreest, like many singer-songwriters (and good up & coming bands across many a genre) are aware it’s a crapshoot, where true talent doesn’t guarantee the deserved accolades.
But I get the feeling young Mr Mylchreest, who loves to write, sing and perform, will, as the title of his debut EP suggests, take it all in his stride.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase the EP on vinyl or CD at: https://jack-mylchreest-music.square.site/
A proud north east boy he may be but on opener 'Sober,' Jack Mylchreest could well be plying his musical trade in the southern US or Nashville, given the bluesy vibe (and short ‘n’ tasty blues solo) applied to a song that lyrically tells of the difficulties of watching someone drink their troubles or denials away (it’s hard to watch you suffer, the nights are getting tougher and the morning feels rougher.”)
Following number 'Home For Good' also carries a little blues charm but here it’s more in the style of a soft-waltz ballad that lyrically nods to home being where the heart – and true friendship – both lies and returns to.
'Tryin’' is a lyrically yearning and melodically sweet number that showcases Jack Mylchreest's strengths as a soft-rock singer-songwriter; it's bettered however by 'Safe With You,' a warm, radio friendly slice of anxiety easing Americana-country meeting melodic soft rock that has both universal sentiment and universal appeal.
The piano based 'Wait' showcases another facet of Jack Mylchreest’s songwriting; it also carries some string-backed or string-effect weight, as well as a genuinely heartfelt vocal (no crocodile tear vocality here).
Sixth and final track 'Homesick' is a quintessential acoustic and vocal singer-songwriter song, with musical delicacy and lyrical melancholy in equal measure ("This is my house, not my home… I just want to find someone to call my own").
Earlier in 2022 Jack Mylchreest garnered some wider attention when it was announced Dan Reed was unable to make it to Whitby for a solo show – the crowd asked if Mylchreest would do the gig, having seen him sing a song with Danny Vaughn at Vaughan's own show the night before, which he duly did.
(He also vlogged the sequence of events and put it up on his YouTube channel).
However, in this manufactured day and lowest common denominator age, such fortuitous promotional opportunities and a truly impressive EP don’t guarantee bigger success, nor any Track Of The Week playlisting on the likes of BBC Radio 2 – Jack Mylchreest, like many singer-songwriters (and good up & coming bands across many a genre) are aware it’s a crapshoot, where true talent doesn’t guarantee the deserved accolades.
But I get the feeling young Mr Mylchreest, who loves to write, sing and perform, will, as the title of his debut EP suggests, take it all in his stride.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase the EP on vinyl or CD at: https://jack-mylchreest-music.square.site/
Nazareth – Surviving the Law
FabricationsHQ wasn’t entirely favourable to previous Nazareth studio offering Tattooed On My Brain (the summary was it would have made a great 6-Track EP).
That 2018 album introduced new vocalist Carl Sentence, who replaced (following a short Naz-stint for Scottish vocalist Linton Osbourne) the arguably irreplaceable Dan McCafferty when the ex-Persian Risk singer joined in 2015.
Bu then "irreplaceable" is, indeed, an argument within and of itself.
Many a band with a storied career now sport only the most tenuous or one (in some cases no) original member links to their classic era or classic line-up days.
Yet many a reimagined or re-tooled classic rock band has a new lease of 21st century, usually (but not always) Greatest Hits styled live life – If you continue to play it, they will come.
The problem with Nazareth however isn’t the line-up of Carl Sentance, ever-present/ co-founder Pete Agnew (bass/ vocals), his drumming son Lee Agnew (the younger Agnew replaced original drummer Darrell Sweet when he sadly passed in 1999) and long-standing guitarist Jimmy Murrison, who has been with the band since 1994. That’s as tight and rock and roll solid a grouping as any.
The problem is quality of product and quality control. It was evident on Tattooed On My Brain and it remains an issue on follow-up, Surviving the Law.
As with Tattooed On My Brain, which offered up some very good material but also many a song that would have failed to get past demo stage back in the A&R/ big label day, Surviving the Law is a mix of contemporary, edgy rock that shaped the Tattooed album (opener 'Strange Days' is a punchy-rock winner, as is the quirkier rhythm applied to 'Better Leave it Out') and more traditional sounding Nazareth, such as the slower rolling rhythm and thick guitars employed on 'You Gotta Pass it Around' and the gritty guitar, mid-tempo groove of 'Mind Bomb.'
(Those "traditional sounding" echoes of classic Nazareth are musically; vocally Carl Sentance delivers in a slightly shriller, cleaner highs voice than that of the deceptively rangy Dan McCafferty and his back in the day Raz-Ama-Tastic acetylene blasts).
Such song positives however are countered by the one-dimensionality of mid-tempo riff-rocker 'Falling in Love' and the pacey but predictable, thrash it out rock and roll of 'Runaway' and 'Sinner' (the sort of songs that, back in the day, would have been single B-sides).
There’s also the same album closing mistake as befell Tattooed On My Brain – on that album the overly long 'You Call Me' flattered to spaciously deceive with an uninspiring Pete Agnew vocal (the song does however feature tasteful lead guitar remarks from Jimmy Murrison).
Here the five-plus minutes of the bluesy and organ backed 'You Made Me' is overly repetitive and suffers the same vocal fate.
Nazareth may be Surviving the Law but they haven’t swayed the FabricationsHQ jury from delivering another verdict of Guilty on the charges of Lack of Consistency and Quality Control.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That 2018 album introduced new vocalist Carl Sentence, who replaced (following a short Naz-stint for Scottish vocalist Linton Osbourne) the arguably irreplaceable Dan McCafferty when the ex-Persian Risk singer joined in 2015.
Bu then "irreplaceable" is, indeed, an argument within and of itself.
Many a band with a storied career now sport only the most tenuous or one (in some cases no) original member links to their classic era or classic line-up days.
Yet many a reimagined or re-tooled classic rock band has a new lease of 21st century, usually (but not always) Greatest Hits styled live life – If you continue to play it, they will come.
The problem with Nazareth however isn’t the line-up of Carl Sentance, ever-present/ co-founder Pete Agnew (bass/ vocals), his drumming son Lee Agnew (the younger Agnew replaced original drummer Darrell Sweet when he sadly passed in 1999) and long-standing guitarist Jimmy Murrison, who has been with the band since 1994. That’s as tight and rock and roll solid a grouping as any.
The problem is quality of product and quality control. It was evident on Tattooed On My Brain and it remains an issue on follow-up, Surviving the Law.
As with Tattooed On My Brain, which offered up some very good material but also many a song that would have failed to get past demo stage back in the A&R/ big label day, Surviving the Law is a mix of contemporary, edgy rock that shaped the Tattooed album (opener 'Strange Days' is a punchy-rock winner, as is the quirkier rhythm applied to 'Better Leave it Out') and more traditional sounding Nazareth, such as the slower rolling rhythm and thick guitars employed on 'You Gotta Pass it Around' and the gritty guitar, mid-tempo groove of 'Mind Bomb.'
(Those "traditional sounding" echoes of classic Nazareth are musically; vocally Carl Sentance delivers in a slightly shriller, cleaner highs voice than that of the deceptively rangy Dan McCafferty and his back in the day Raz-Ama-Tastic acetylene blasts).
Such song positives however are countered by the one-dimensionality of mid-tempo riff-rocker 'Falling in Love' and the pacey but predictable, thrash it out rock and roll of 'Runaway' and 'Sinner' (the sort of songs that, back in the day, would have been single B-sides).
There’s also the same album closing mistake as befell Tattooed On My Brain – on that album the overly long 'You Call Me' flattered to spaciously deceive with an uninspiring Pete Agnew vocal (the song does however feature tasteful lead guitar remarks from Jimmy Murrison).
Here the five-plus minutes of the bluesy and organ backed 'You Made Me' is overly repetitive and suffers the same vocal fate.
Nazareth may be Surviving the Law but they haven’t swayed the FabricationsHQ jury from delivering another verdict of Guilty on the charges of Lack of Consistency and Quality Control.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Bill Nelson’s Red Noise – Art / Empire / Industry : The Complete Red Noise (6 Disc Box Set)
As modern prog-meister Steven Wilson states, in reference to the year 1979 in his foreword to the highly informative 64 page booklet that accompanies the all-encompassing, 6 Disc Complete Red Noise box set, "What a time to be engaged and invested in pop music."
1979 was indeed, pivotal and plentiful in terms of the new wave movement and the many pop-forms that followed in the wake of a still reverberating punk scene.
It was certainly pivotal for Bill Nelson, a musician who had always been ahead of the curve with his art-rock band Be-Bop Deluxe.
Disbanding the group shortly after touring their final album, the proto new wave rock of Drastic Plastic, Nelson, tapping in to the changing musical times, formed Red Noise.
The studio band, featuring Bill Nelson (vocals, guitars, drums, synths), Nelson’s younger brother Ian Nelson (saxophones, string machine), Be-Bop keysman Andy Clark, bassist Rick "Pinky" Ford and (on four tracks) drummer Dave Mattacks, released their debut (and as it turned out only) album Sound-On-Sound in February of 1979.
XTC influenced opener 'Don’t Touch Me (I’m Electric)' wasn’t just a short, sharp call to new wave arms; it also emphatically underlined this was a leap beyond what was hinted at on Drastic Plastic as Bill Nelson looked to his next, bold new musical adventure.
From the new wave pop of 'For Young Moderns' (a song The Cars would have loved to have claimed as their own) and 'Radar In My Heart' (late 50s rock 'n' roll in late 70s new wave clothing) to the pop-punk of 'Stay Young' and on to fast-paced closing brace 'Art / Empire / Industry' and 'Revolt Into Style' (an anthem for both Red Noise and 1979) Sound On Sound more than stands the test of time.
Indeed the album goes beyond its own time to sound as fresh and invigorating now as it did then – especially when listening to the new stereo mix of the album on CD3 or the new 5.1 Surround Sound mix that graces one of two DVDs (both, by audio guru Stephen W Tayler, create a whole new listening experience, such is the sonic brightness, audio clarity and instrument separation employed).
But as The Complete Red Noise sub-title suggests, there’s a lot more here than just a newly remastered version of Sound On Sound (plus six bonus tracks, including a four song BBC Radio One Friday Rock Show session) and the new stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound mixes.
CD2 features a previously unreleased live performance (with drummer Steve Peer now behind the kit) from De Montfort Hall in Leicester (newly mixed from the original tapes).
The set underlines that Bill Nelson was always in-the-now, even in live performance – every Sound On Sound song is featured, including an extended jam of 'For Young Moderns' as the encore; only two, more recent
Be-Bop Deluxe numbers, 'Possession' and 'Superenigmatix,' make the set-list cut.
(The Drastic Plastic pairing can be seen – and heard – as proto Red Noise; fitting the new sound profile).
The second DVD features six bonus tracks in 5.1 Surround Sound, including the previously unreleased 'My Light' (a dreamy, saxophone featured affair) and a three song RAK Studios session from May 1979.
There's also rare video content – the previously unreleased promo video for 'Revolt Into Style' and the band’s Old Grey Whistle Test performance from February 1979 (the OGWT performance, along with the Leicester show and the two session recordings, showcase a band that were as sharp and on-point live as they were in the studio – and a tad faster).
The final disc in the collection collects Bill Nelson's thirteen Red Noise home demos from 1978; previously unreleased gold dust for the Nelson aficionado and completest.
Turn up the Red Noise and Revolt into Style like its 1979.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
1979 was indeed, pivotal and plentiful in terms of the new wave movement and the many pop-forms that followed in the wake of a still reverberating punk scene.
It was certainly pivotal for Bill Nelson, a musician who had always been ahead of the curve with his art-rock band Be-Bop Deluxe.
Disbanding the group shortly after touring their final album, the proto new wave rock of Drastic Plastic, Nelson, tapping in to the changing musical times, formed Red Noise.
The studio band, featuring Bill Nelson (vocals, guitars, drums, synths), Nelson’s younger brother Ian Nelson (saxophones, string machine), Be-Bop keysman Andy Clark, bassist Rick "Pinky" Ford and (on four tracks) drummer Dave Mattacks, released their debut (and as it turned out only) album Sound-On-Sound in February of 1979.
XTC influenced opener 'Don’t Touch Me (I’m Electric)' wasn’t just a short, sharp call to new wave arms; it also emphatically underlined this was a leap beyond what was hinted at on Drastic Plastic as Bill Nelson looked to his next, bold new musical adventure.
From the new wave pop of 'For Young Moderns' (a song The Cars would have loved to have claimed as their own) and 'Radar In My Heart' (late 50s rock 'n' roll in late 70s new wave clothing) to the pop-punk of 'Stay Young' and on to fast-paced closing brace 'Art / Empire / Industry' and 'Revolt Into Style' (an anthem for both Red Noise and 1979) Sound On Sound more than stands the test of time.
Indeed the album goes beyond its own time to sound as fresh and invigorating now as it did then – especially when listening to the new stereo mix of the album on CD3 or the new 5.1 Surround Sound mix that graces one of two DVDs (both, by audio guru Stephen W Tayler, create a whole new listening experience, such is the sonic brightness, audio clarity and instrument separation employed).
But as The Complete Red Noise sub-title suggests, there’s a lot more here than just a newly remastered version of Sound On Sound (plus six bonus tracks, including a four song BBC Radio One Friday Rock Show session) and the new stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound mixes.
CD2 features a previously unreleased live performance (with drummer Steve Peer now behind the kit) from De Montfort Hall in Leicester (newly mixed from the original tapes).
The set underlines that Bill Nelson was always in-the-now, even in live performance – every Sound On Sound song is featured, including an extended jam of 'For Young Moderns' as the encore; only two, more recent
Be-Bop Deluxe numbers, 'Possession' and 'Superenigmatix,' make the set-list cut.
(The Drastic Plastic pairing can be seen – and heard – as proto Red Noise; fitting the new sound profile).
The second DVD features six bonus tracks in 5.1 Surround Sound, including the previously unreleased 'My Light' (a dreamy, saxophone featured affair) and a three song RAK Studios session from May 1979.
There's also rare video content – the previously unreleased promo video for 'Revolt Into Style' and the band’s Old Grey Whistle Test performance from February 1979 (the OGWT performance, along with the Leicester show and the two session recordings, showcase a band that were as sharp and on-point live as they were in the studio – and a tad faster).
The final disc in the collection collects Bill Nelson's thirteen Red Noise home demos from 1978; previously unreleased gold dust for the Nelson aficionado and completest.
Turn up the Red Noise and Revolt into Style like its 1979.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Adam Norsworthy – Infinite Hotel
On fourth solo album Infinite Hotel Adam Norsworthy, front man of blues rock outfit The Mustangs and guitarist in Feelgood (in both band and vibe sense) styled blues rock 'n' rollers The Milk Men, has launched a musical exploration for new planets (to which the album title nods) while contemplating the more down to earth aspects of life, love, mortality and the environment.
The up-tempo punch (sprinkled with some Stonesy styled "woo-hoo"s) and musical panache of the
pop-rocking 'Bridges to the Moon' (led by the snappy snare-beat of drummer Wayne Proctor) lyrically underlines the need to search for other celestial homes before, frankly, it’s too late
("Another forest dying, another river drying;
a politician lying, what are we waiting for here?
It’s getting near… oh, so close").
Infinite Hotel is also an all-encompassing presentation of Adam Norsworthy in all his genuinely talented and musically thoughtful guises – 'Now I’ve Got Your Love,' for example, is a contemporary slice of angular melodic rock and roll (with edgier vocality on the verses) that would not be out of place on a Milk Men album.
Similarly, 'Turn Your Love Around' and 'In Time I will Forget You' could both, with different arrangements, be Mustangs numbers.
The former’s moody yet melodic (and slightly bluesy) tones are complimented by tasty solo remarks from Oli Brown (who also contributes a full-blown cry of a solo on the atmospheric and slow-build 'Rise With You'); the latter sits firmly in reflective, slow blues waltz territory, complete with a plaintive but full-bodied vocal delivery from Adam Norsworthy and delightful chorus melody.
As Infinite Hotel hits its mid-album stride it becomes noticeable just how big (and warm) a sound Adam Norsworthy and co-producer Wayne Proctor) have given the album, bolstered by a Proctor/ House Of Tone mix that allows each instrument to find its sonic space.
Kudos here too for the well-performed and, as importantly, well placed Hammond and piano keys from the versatile Bennett Holland, plus contributory keys from another first-class singer-songwriter, Rich Young.
As impacting as that big sound is, anyone familiar with Adam Norsworthy’s solo work will be looking and listening out for a stripped back acoustic number or three.
Fear not, singer-songwriter fans, for that’s just what’s on offer as the second half of the album gets underway. The lyrically intimate and ever-so-slightly Nashville 'Lost in the Cinema' carries a lovely, light arrangement; the uplifting contrast of 'You’re My Song' is both folksy and feel-good; the downtempo ballad 'I May Not Be Here in the Morning' is the sort of song John Denver would have had a hit with back in the day.
The album finishes as strongly as it started through, first, the keyboard flourishes and jangling guitars that shape the lyrically analogous Jericho ("my walls are crashing to the ground!").
'Jericho' is followed by the keyboard backed, cinematic love song 'Meet Me at Midnight' (crash cymbals that sound like waves splashing against the rocks is a particularly nice touch).
The ballad 'Bullet Proof Man' (with emotive violin accompaniment from Amy Heggart) then presents itself as the perfect closing statement.
Whether we do, in time, find mankind’s future is in Building Bridges to the Moon or end up heading to Hell in a handbasket of our own design, I hope and trust that, in either case, a copy of Infinite Hotel is mandatory listening.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The up-tempo punch (sprinkled with some Stonesy styled "woo-hoo"s) and musical panache of the
pop-rocking 'Bridges to the Moon' (led by the snappy snare-beat of drummer Wayne Proctor) lyrically underlines the need to search for other celestial homes before, frankly, it’s too late
("Another forest dying, another river drying;
a politician lying, what are we waiting for here?
It’s getting near… oh, so close").
Infinite Hotel is also an all-encompassing presentation of Adam Norsworthy in all his genuinely talented and musically thoughtful guises – 'Now I’ve Got Your Love,' for example, is a contemporary slice of angular melodic rock and roll (with edgier vocality on the verses) that would not be out of place on a Milk Men album.
Similarly, 'Turn Your Love Around' and 'In Time I will Forget You' could both, with different arrangements, be Mustangs numbers.
The former’s moody yet melodic (and slightly bluesy) tones are complimented by tasty solo remarks from Oli Brown (who also contributes a full-blown cry of a solo on the atmospheric and slow-build 'Rise With You'); the latter sits firmly in reflective, slow blues waltz territory, complete with a plaintive but full-bodied vocal delivery from Adam Norsworthy and delightful chorus melody.
As Infinite Hotel hits its mid-album stride it becomes noticeable just how big (and warm) a sound Adam Norsworthy and co-producer Wayne Proctor) have given the album, bolstered by a Proctor/ House Of Tone mix that allows each instrument to find its sonic space.
Kudos here too for the well-performed and, as importantly, well placed Hammond and piano keys from the versatile Bennett Holland, plus contributory keys from another first-class singer-songwriter, Rich Young.
As impacting as that big sound is, anyone familiar with Adam Norsworthy’s solo work will be looking and listening out for a stripped back acoustic number or three.
Fear not, singer-songwriter fans, for that’s just what’s on offer as the second half of the album gets underway. The lyrically intimate and ever-so-slightly Nashville 'Lost in the Cinema' carries a lovely, light arrangement; the uplifting contrast of 'You’re My Song' is both folksy and feel-good; the downtempo ballad 'I May Not Be Here in the Morning' is the sort of song John Denver would have had a hit with back in the day.
The album finishes as strongly as it started through, first, the keyboard flourishes and jangling guitars that shape the lyrically analogous Jericho ("my walls are crashing to the ground!").
'Jericho' is followed by the keyboard backed, cinematic love song 'Meet Me at Midnight' (crash cymbals that sound like waves splashing against the rocks is a particularly nice touch).
The ballad 'Bullet Proof Man' (with emotive violin accompaniment from Amy Heggart) then presents itself as the perfect closing statement.
Whether we do, in time, find mankind’s future is in Building Bridges to the Moon or end up heading to Hell in a handbasket of our own design, I hope and trust that, in either case, a copy of Infinite Hotel is mandatory listening.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Orianthi – Rock Candy
Australian guitarist, singer & songwriter Orianthi’s latest studio album Rock Candy is the follow up to 2020's electro-rock driven O (which was her first new studio album in seven years).
Joining Orianthi on Rock Candy is the multi-talented Jacob Bunton. Not only did Bunton engineer, produce & mix the album, he played bass, additional guitars, keyboards and even violin on one number.
(An Emmy Award-winning composer, Jacob Bunton’s credits include Mariah Carey, Steven Tyler, Smokey Robinson, Akon and Pop Evil).
Drummer Kyle Cunningham completes the Rock Candy studio band line-up.
The influence and production sound of Jacob Bunton is writ large on the album, which is both rockier than O but also more pop oriented, with some very short (as the album length of 31 minutes bears out) radio-friendly songs.
The 11 track album is book-ended by the instrumentals 'Illuminate' Pts I & II, which highlight Orianthi’s guitar skills with jazz fusion leanings and Satriani-esque backing respectively.
The two instrumentals alone signal that Orianthi is a serious contender in the guitar stakes.
Following number 'Light it Up' starts with a muscular and bouncy riff which progresses towards potential encouragement of crowd participation with pre-chorus "woah-ohs," an earworm chorus and an impressive guitar solo.
There’s nothing particularly original here, but it’s an infectious, bouncy rocker that’s extremely well delivered.
'Fire Together' builds nicely towards another big chorus with a guitar part addendum before returning to the lower key verse section followed by another short and sweet guitar solo (this is a well thought out, dynamic number with great production).
Keeping it even shorter and sweet is 'Where Did Your Heart Go,' which clocks in at just under three minutes. The song, which delivers with a Fleetwood Mac flavour and more impressive guitar parts, produces further evidence that Orianthi has improved on her vocal deliveries of late, a fact which was noted on her previous studio album.
'Red Light' is even shorter, but far rockier (shades of Pat Benatar, as is the case on a number of the tracks).
Even with its brevity 'Red Light' impresses enough to gain pass marks, bolstered by a high calibre wah-wah solo towards the end.
'Void' further impresses with interesting production ideas, spacey verse sections and a chorus that intersperses with a detuned part employing both an Octaver and some dissonance (there are also some Hendrix vibes going on). A true album highlight.
'Burning' is another sub three minute number with sparse verses and a big chorus. Some electronica is used to good effect here, although that has been reduced since previous album O.
The acoustically arranged 'Living is Like Dying Without You' is, perhaps surprisingly, almost country/ Americana in arrangement.
It’s a nice enough song but also somewhat incongruous, given what is going on around it, leading to the suspicion that it features solely in an attempt to garner a hit in the same (unexpected) fashion as the huge success of 'More Than Words' by Extreme.
'Witches & The Devil,' at just under two minutes long, sounds like an under-developed grunge-blues waiting to be completed; musical matters are redeemed however by the big beat, even bigger guitars and hooky chorus of penultimate number 'Getting To Me.' In short (and it is), quintessential Orianthi.
This is another impressive outing by Orianthi, an artist that continues to improve and develop as a solo artist. Some further consistency in songwriting might yet provide that killer album, but there is no doubt Rock Candy features some great songs, a number of which will fit extremely well in the live environment.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Joining Orianthi on Rock Candy is the multi-talented Jacob Bunton. Not only did Bunton engineer, produce & mix the album, he played bass, additional guitars, keyboards and even violin on one number.
(An Emmy Award-winning composer, Jacob Bunton’s credits include Mariah Carey, Steven Tyler, Smokey Robinson, Akon and Pop Evil).
Drummer Kyle Cunningham completes the Rock Candy studio band line-up.
The influence and production sound of Jacob Bunton is writ large on the album, which is both rockier than O but also more pop oriented, with some very short (as the album length of 31 minutes bears out) radio-friendly songs.
The 11 track album is book-ended by the instrumentals 'Illuminate' Pts I & II, which highlight Orianthi’s guitar skills with jazz fusion leanings and Satriani-esque backing respectively.
The two instrumentals alone signal that Orianthi is a serious contender in the guitar stakes.
Following number 'Light it Up' starts with a muscular and bouncy riff which progresses towards potential encouragement of crowd participation with pre-chorus "woah-ohs," an earworm chorus and an impressive guitar solo.
There’s nothing particularly original here, but it’s an infectious, bouncy rocker that’s extremely well delivered.
'Fire Together' builds nicely towards another big chorus with a guitar part addendum before returning to the lower key verse section followed by another short and sweet guitar solo (this is a well thought out, dynamic number with great production).
Keeping it even shorter and sweet is 'Where Did Your Heart Go,' which clocks in at just under three minutes. The song, which delivers with a Fleetwood Mac flavour and more impressive guitar parts, produces further evidence that Orianthi has improved on her vocal deliveries of late, a fact which was noted on her previous studio album.
'Red Light' is even shorter, but far rockier (shades of Pat Benatar, as is the case on a number of the tracks).
Even with its brevity 'Red Light' impresses enough to gain pass marks, bolstered by a high calibre wah-wah solo towards the end.
'Void' further impresses with interesting production ideas, spacey verse sections and a chorus that intersperses with a detuned part employing both an Octaver and some dissonance (there are also some Hendrix vibes going on). A true album highlight.
'Burning' is another sub three minute number with sparse verses and a big chorus. Some electronica is used to good effect here, although that has been reduced since previous album O.
The acoustically arranged 'Living is Like Dying Without You' is, perhaps surprisingly, almost country/ Americana in arrangement.
It’s a nice enough song but also somewhat incongruous, given what is going on around it, leading to the suspicion that it features solely in an attempt to garner a hit in the same (unexpected) fashion as the huge success of 'More Than Words' by Extreme.
'Witches & The Devil,' at just under two minutes long, sounds like an under-developed grunge-blues waiting to be completed; musical matters are redeemed however by the big beat, even bigger guitars and hooky chorus of penultimate number 'Getting To Me.' In short (and it is), quintessential Orianthi.
This is another impressive outing by Orianthi, an artist that continues to improve and develop as a solo artist. Some further consistency in songwriting might yet provide that killer album, but there is no doubt Rock Candy features some great songs, a number of which will fit extremely well in the live environment.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
The Outlaw Orchestra – Back Under The Covers EP
Hot diggity chicken fried snake, them Outlaw Orchestra boys know how to have fun (back) under the covers, and during the pandemic lockdowns.
In early 2021 the "heavygrass" trio (Dave Roux - lead vocals, guitars; Ryan Smith - drums, percussion, vocals; Pete Briley - lap steel, banjo, vocals) preceded second studio album Makin’ Tracks with stripped back mini-album Powercut and 6 track EP Under The Covers.
The latter featured a moonshine blues rendition of Dolly Parton’s '9 to 5' and a slower take of Waylon Jennings smash hit 'Good Ol’ Boys' (the theme tune to either The Dukes of Hazard or Daisy Duke’s legs, depending on what you most fondly remember from the series).
Now, emboldened by the critical and fan reaction to the stripped back material and the EP, the band have gone Back Under the Covers.
Although one track shorter than the previous EP the second instalment works better and makes more impact.
That's in part because the band have eschewed the more country styled track listing/ arrangements for a more rock orientated setting (generally speaking), plus a fuller sound and more instrumentation (you name it, they played it, from electric, acoustic, baritone, lap & pedal steel guitars to banjo, mandolin and everything you can hit percussively).
A brace of psychedelically tinged rock guitars introduce the band’s heavy bluegrass arrangement of 'Come Together,' complete with (heavier) Ringo drum roll pattern and some hot Cajun lead guitar work.
The Small Faces psychedelic pop classic 'Itchycoo Park' stays fairly faithful to the original (and is all the better for it) as does, to a lesser degree, the iconic thick guitar riffage of 'Rocky Mountain Way.'
Joe Walsh’s classic stomp-blues is minus the keyboards and famous talk-box solo of the original but it does sport a rough and ready charm.
The band also make a good fist of 'Up On Cripple Creek.' More quirky than funky, The Band classic retains the yodel-styled vocal finale plus Dave Roux’s dog Ted barking the outro (howlingly good touch).
The highlight of the EP however is, without question, final track 'Iron Fist' – I mean come on, a moonshine still, banjo pickin', guitar slidin' hoedown boogie interpretation of a Motörhead song? What’s not to like, y’all?
Done for fun, Back Under the Covers and its 6-track predecessor are complementary dovetails to The Outlaw Orchestra’s original material studio albums.
Nor does the fun stop here; the band have already confirmed a Christmas single for December, complete with a video filmed by Kris Barras that was shot in 34 degree heat, in August, while attired in hats, coats & scarves. These boys have clearly eaten one too many of those Chicken Fried Snakes.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Back Under the Covers is available digitally
In early 2021 the "heavygrass" trio (Dave Roux - lead vocals, guitars; Ryan Smith - drums, percussion, vocals; Pete Briley - lap steel, banjo, vocals) preceded second studio album Makin’ Tracks with stripped back mini-album Powercut and 6 track EP Under The Covers.
The latter featured a moonshine blues rendition of Dolly Parton’s '9 to 5' and a slower take of Waylon Jennings smash hit 'Good Ol’ Boys' (the theme tune to either The Dukes of Hazard or Daisy Duke’s legs, depending on what you most fondly remember from the series).
Now, emboldened by the critical and fan reaction to the stripped back material and the EP, the band have gone Back Under the Covers.
Although one track shorter than the previous EP the second instalment works better and makes more impact.
That's in part because the band have eschewed the more country styled track listing/ arrangements for a more rock orientated setting (generally speaking), plus a fuller sound and more instrumentation (you name it, they played it, from electric, acoustic, baritone, lap & pedal steel guitars to banjo, mandolin and everything you can hit percussively).
A brace of psychedelically tinged rock guitars introduce the band’s heavy bluegrass arrangement of 'Come Together,' complete with (heavier) Ringo drum roll pattern and some hot Cajun lead guitar work.
The Small Faces psychedelic pop classic 'Itchycoo Park' stays fairly faithful to the original (and is all the better for it) as does, to a lesser degree, the iconic thick guitar riffage of 'Rocky Mountain Way.'
Joe Walsh’s classic stomp-blues is minus the keyboards and famous talk-box solo of the original but it does sport a rough and ready charm.
The band also make a good fist of 'Up On Cripple Creek.' More quirky than funky, The Band classic retains the yodel-styled vocal finale plus Dave Roux’s dog Ted barking the outro (howlingly good touch).
The highlight of the EP however is, without question, final track 'Iron Fist' – I mean come on, a moonshine still, banjo pickin', guitar slidin' hoedown boogie interpretation of a Motörhead song? What’s not to like, y’all?
Done for fun, Back Under the Covers and its 6-track predecessor are complementary dovetails to The Outlaw Orchestra’s original material studio albums.
Nor does the fun stop here; the band have already confirmed a Christmas single for December, complete with a video filmed by Kris Barras that was shot in 34 degree heat, in August, while attired in hats, coats & scarves. These boys have clearly eaten one too many of those Chicken Fried Snakes.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Back Under the Covers is available digitally
David Paich – Forgotten Toys
It’s remarkable to think Forgotten Toys is the first solo album from David Paich.
That said, for the last fifty years or so, before and during his time as part (and still a non-touring member) of Toto, he hasn’t had a lot or spare time – as a world class session musician and arranger, Paich has appeared on over 2000 albums by the likes of Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis and Ray Charles, to name but six of hundreds.
Forgotten Toys is a mini-album of seven tracks, all of which began life as pieces of music, or songs, that had been played around with by David Paich over the years, then shelved (hence the title).
However Covid and related lockdowns allowed David Paich the opportunity to revisit these songs, dust them down, shape them up and record them with an impressive array of musical friends and guest players including Toto buddies Steve Lukather & Joseph Williams (the latter co-produced the album with Paich), Brian Eno, Michael McDonald, Ray Parker Jr., Don Felder and Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan.
Opening piece 'Forward' starts as if it’s going to expand from its keys-orchestrated intro but after only thirty seconds it slows down, via some sound effects, and departs.
Fortunately 'willibelongtoyou' makes for a far brighter and truer opening. A lovely David Paich led Toto piece of melodically crafted AOR soft-rock, the Paich, Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams penned number (Williams also features on high harmony and backing vocals) is clearly a later-era Toto song that never found a home, until now.
It’s smooth, it’s sonically polished (kudos here to the production values) and has those unmistakeably David Paich keyboard shimmers and piano motifs toward song’s end.
Similarly 'Spirit Of The Moonrise,' written by Paich and Lukather, is Toto in everything but name.
A punchy and hooky melodic rocker, the song features a lyric inspired by one of David Paich’s recurring dreams, a strong lead vocal from Paich (and backing interjections from Michael McDonald) and a solid rhythm, upon which Luke lets rip in his inimitable, melodically rippling style.
It’s a purposeful one-two start, but Forgotten Toys also contains a couple of songs that should have been left in the toy cupboard.
For example 'First Time' is a rhythmically simple tune that, while carrying some schmaltzy lyrical charm (a father watching his "little girl with a heart of gold" grow up to become a teenager in love), goes nowhere musically, thus outstaying its welcome about half-way through.
'Queen Charade' changes things up by being a bluesy, and slightly Stonesy, tough-beat affair that features Warren Ham on harmonica and slide from Don Felder, but following number 'All The Tears That Shine' suffers from the same one-gear and overly long issues that hamstrung 'First Time.'
On the plus side the world music rhythm and down-tempo atmosphere are very Peter Gabriel and guest singer Michael Sherwood, who sadly passed in 2019, is decidedly Gabiel-esque in his vocality.
Final track, the instrumental 'Lucy,' is the pick of the toy box.
A homage to Dave Brubeck and the "cool jazz" of the late 50s and 60s (with a big dollop of Miles Davis for good measure), 'Lucy' is all be-bop, scats (via vocal interjections) and contrasting rhythms, with some seriously tasty piano and organ taking the lead instrument roles.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
That said, for the last fifty years or so, before and during his time as part (and still a non-touring member) of Toto, he hasn’t had a lot or spare time – as a world class session musician and arranger, Paich has appeared on over 2000 albums by the likes of Boz Scaggs, Steely Dan, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Miles Davis and Ray Charles, to name but six of hundreds.
Forgotten Toys is a mini-album of seven tracks, all of which began life as pieces of music, or songs, that had been played around with by David Paich over the years, then shelved (hence the title).
However Covid and related lockdowns allowed David Paich the opportunity to revisit these songs, dust them down, shape them up and record them with an impressive array of musical friends and guest players including Toto buddies Steve Lukather & Joseph Williams (the latter co-produced the album with Paich), Brian Eno, Michael McDonald, Ray Parker Jr., Don Felder and Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan.
Opening piece 'Forward' starts as if it’s going to expand from its keys-orchestrated intro but after only thirty seconds it slows down, via some sound effects, and departs.
Fortunately 'willibelongtoyou' makes for a far brighter and truer opening. A lovely David Paich led Toto piece of melodically crafted AOR soft-rock, the Paich, Steve Lukather and Joseph Williams penned number (Williams also features on high harmony and backing vocals) is clearly a later-era Toto song that never found a home, until now.
It’s smooth, it’s sonically polished (kudos here to the production values) and has those unmistakeably David Paich keyboard shimmers and piano motifs toward song’s end.
Similarly 'Spirit Of The Moonrise,' written by Paich and Lukather, is Toto in everything but name.
A punchy and hooky melodic rocker, the song features a lyric inspired by one of David Paich’s recurring dreams, a strong lead vocal from Paich (and backing interjections from Michael McDonald) and a solid rhythm, upon which Luke lets rip in his inimitable, melodically rippling style.
It’s a purposeful one-two start, but Forgotten Toys also contains a couple of songs that should have been left in the toy cupboard.
For example 'First Time' is a rhythmically simple tune that, while carrying some schmaltzy lyrical charm (a father watching his "little girl with a heart of gold" grow up to become a teenager in love), goes nowhere musically, thus outstaying its welcome about half-way through.
'Queen Charade' changes things up by being a bluesy, and slightly Stonesy, tough-beat affair that features Warren Ham on harmonica and slide from Don Felder, but following number 'All The Tears That Shine' suffers from the same one-gear and overly long issues that hamstrung 'First Time.'
On the plus side the world music rhythm and down-tempo atmosphere are very Peter Gabriel and guest singer Michael Sherwood, who sadly passed in 2019, is decidedly Gabiel-esque in his vocality.
Final track, the instrumental 'Lucy,' is the pick of the toy box.
A homage to Dave Brubeck and the "cool jazz" of the late 50s and 60s (with a big dollop of Miles Davis for good measure), 'Lucy' is all be-bop, scats (via vocal interjections) and contrasting rhythms, with some seriously tasty piano and organ taking the lead instrument roles.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Joseph Parsons Band – Holy Loneliness Divine
German based American singer-songwriter-guitarist Joseph Parsons has come up with a contemporary and highly melodious Americana swan song to be proud of with Holy Loneliness Divine, the final chapter in the musical book of this particular incarnation of the Joseph Parsons Band.
And it is/ was quite a band.
Parsons has been ably backed these last fourteen years by the multi-instrumentalist talents of Ross Bellenoit (guitars, piano, Rhodes, bass, Marxophone, programming), Freddi Lubitz (bass & backing vocals, guitar, synth, Mellotron) and Sven Hansen (drums & percussion, piano, Rhodes, organ, Carillon chimes, guitar), who now step off of Parson’s singular sounding Americana highway to explore new musical paths and projects.
Previous Joseph Parsons album Mercy’s Edge (his fourteenth solo release; there has also been band output (US Rails, Hardpan, 4 Way Street) and the Parsons-Thibaud duo) was a cracking little album, musically reminiscent of some of his earlier work with lyrical tales of what ails us and the current world.
Holy Loneliness Divine tops Mercy’s Edge however due to the consistently high-quality song writing (Joseph Parsons wrote all the songs plus one co-write with Ben Arnold of US Rails), each track’s musical mood and the well-conceived arrangements.
(Additionally Adam Flicker (piano, Hammond) and Emily Ana Zeitlyn (backing vocals), both of whom guested on Mercy’s Edge, return to contribute their respective skills).
From melodic Americana-stadium rock opener 'Dreaming a Universe' to the lower-key, slow-build drum rhythm contrast of album closer 'Thankful' (which lyrically is just that) it’s clear the band have also kept to their strengths and signature sound (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, just sign-off with it in top-of-your-game fashion).
Most of the other eight songs float on the soundwaves with simple, mid-tempo ease but all display reflective charm, catchy melodies or rich atmosphere – in some cases all three, with 'Passengers' being a fine, introspective and lyrically searching example ("I’ve been hardened by the bridge of sorrow, under spell of self loathe, taken in by shadows… I seek liberation").
Interestingly the few up-tempo songs, coupled with Joseph Parsons’ mid-range vocality, produce moments that don’t just nod to the more usual comparisons of Heartland Springsteen and Petty ('Dreams We Dare;' 'Daring to Fall'), but the likes of REM, at least if said band had taken an Americana path.
One example, and indeed a true highlight of the album, is the chiming guitars charm of 'Bookshop Mary,' from which the album takes its title ("As she lays her body down to a world of rare delight, only dreams will show her now, holy loneliness divine").
By contrast the slower, atmospheric brace of country influenced 'Forever Yours' and the acoustic backed delicacy of 'Full Moon Tide' are all Joseph Parsons – poetic lyricism, graceful romanticism ("Let the waters rise, full moon tide; for all the love that I've found, such a lucky man never stood on land…").
There’s also a nod to the band as individuals, beyond what they have already achieved collectively – most of the songs were produced & mixed by Joseph Parsons but each band member produced and mixed a song independently; a nice put-your-audio-signature-on-it touch.
Holy Loneliness Divine, one of Joseph Parsons' best albums to date, marks the end of a particular chapter in his solo, band-backed career; here’s to the next musical instalment.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
And it is/ was quite a band.
Parsons has been ably backed these last fourteen years by the multi-instrumentalist talents of Ross Bellenoit (guitars, piano, Rhodes, bass, Marxophone, programming), Freddi Lubitz (bass & backing vocals, guitar, synth, Mellotron) and Sven Hansen (drums & percussion, piano, Rhodes, organ, Carillon chimes, guitar), who now step off of Parson’s singular sounding Americana highway to explore new musical paths and projects.
Previous Joseph Parsons album Mercy’s Edge (his fourteenth solo release; there has also been band output (US Rails, Hardpan, 4 Way Street) and the Parsons-Thibaud duo) was a cracking little album, musically reminiscent of some of his earlier work with lyrical tales of what ails us and the current world.
Holy Loneliness Divine tops Mercy’s Edge however due to the consistently high-quality song writing (Joseph Parsons wrote all the songs plus one co-write with Ben Arnold of US Rails), each track’s musical mood and the well-conceived arrangements.
(Additionally Adam Flicker (piano, Hammond) and Emily Ana Zeitlyn (backing vocals), both of whom guested on Mercy’s Edge, return to contribute their respective skills).
From melodic Americana-stadium rock opener 'Dreaming a Universe' to the lower-key, slow-build drum rhythm contrast of album closer 'Thankful' (which lyrically is just that) it’s clear the band have also kept to their strengths and signature sound (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, just sign-off with it in top-of-your-game fashion).
Most of the other eight songs float on the soundwaves with simple, mid-tempo ease but all display reflective charm, catchy melodies or rich atmosphere – in some cases all three, with 'Passengers' being a fine, introspective and lyrically searching example ("I’ve been hardened by the bridge of sorrow, under spell of self loathe, taken in by shadows… I seek liberation").
Interestingly the few up-tempo songs, coupled with Joseph Parsons’ mid-range vocality, produce moments that don’t just nod to the more usual comparisons of Heartland Springsteen and Petty ('Dreams We Dare;' 'Daring to Fall'), but the likes of REM, at least if said band had taken an Americana path.
One example, and indeed a true highlight of the album, is the chiming guitars charm of 'Bookshop Mary,' from which the album takes its title ("As she lays her body down to a world of rare delight, only dreams will show her now, holy loneliness divine").
By contrast the slower, atmospheric brace of country influenced 'Forever Yours' and the acoustic backed delicacy of 'Full Moon Tide' are all Joseph Parsons – poetic lyricism, graceful romanticism ("Let the waters rise, full moon tide; for all the love that I've found, such a lucky man never stood on land…").
There’s also a nod to the band as individuals, beyond what they have already achieved collectively – most of the songs were produced & mixed by Joseph Parsons but each band member produced and mixed a song independently; a nice put-your-audio-signature-on-it touch.
Holy Loneliness Divine, one of Joseph Parsons' best albums to date, marks the end of a particular chapter in his solo, band-backed career; here’s to the next musical instalment.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Matt Pearce & The Mutiny – The Soul Food Store
As the album title suggests, the second studio release from singer-guitarist and Voodoo Six member Matt Pearce and his mutinous band (bassist Kelpie McKenzie, Voodoo Six bandmate and drummer Joe Lazarus, keys player Jon Moody, backing & harmony vocalist Daliah Sherrington) is a freshly made, tasty slice of musical goodness for what ails us (and that’s quite a lot, these last couple of years).
As anyone familiar with Matt Pearce & The Mutiny and/ or debut album Gotta Get Home will know, the music is far removed from the rhythmically crunching hard rock of Voodoo Six.
Here Pearce song-writes and revels in his love of soul, funk and blues, sometimes as separate entities with a splash of another ingredient, but oft-times with all three in the musical melting pot, with satisfying results.
Opener 'Got a Thing Going On' is the perfect indicator of what’s on offer at The Soul Food Store (Chef Matt Pearce’s Special, if you will) – a funky dollop of up-tempo, soul-swinging horn-backed deliciousness (Terry Edwards (trumpet) and Steve Beighton (saxophone) feature on a number of the songs).
'All the Gods,' by contrast, is brooding and soul-bluesy, backed by some tasty organ flourishes from Jon Moody and feisty little guitar bursts from Matt Pearce; the rhythmically funky and Santana-esque 'Promised Land' (with Mark Greenfield adding additional percussion) is as biting as it is bristly.
The piano-led (one of Joe Mac’s two keyboard appearances) soul ballad 'Bring it All To Me' adds a new flavour to the Mutiny menu; Daliah Sherrington’s harmony vocals both enhance and strengthen Matt Peace’s lead vocal here, while Pearce delivers some graceful and tasteful slide work.
'From Here to the Moon' then offers up some infectious blues-jazz boogie (with more nifty and high-cryin' slide from Matt Pearce) before the title track announces itself with sultry Cuban sway, rhythmic groove and some nice acoustic guitar and organ interplay from Messrs Pearce & Moody.
Dance-floor blues-funk then comes by way of 'Don’t Take it So Hard,' which reflects the extended song style of Gotta Get Home by stretching out to seven-and-a-half minutes, allowing Daliah Sherrington and Matt Pearce to showcase their respective vocal and six-string talents on the tempo-changing (and very Floyd-esque) second half of the song.
'Never Get Away From Love' is funkadelic soul-blues of the snappiest order while 'A Better Way' retains the funk quotient while cleverly mixing of 60s beat-pop and 70s rock groove.
Penultimate number, the string-backed 'Beautiful Disguise,' drops the tempo to deliver the sweet and sentimental blues moment of the album; Matt Pearce is on the edge of his vocal comfort zone here but the vulnerability in his voice fits the song & lyric.
The album closes much the way it opened with the up-tempo and horn-backed 'King of the World,' which delivers a big beat and a feisty rock and soul-roll finish to proceedings.
This is an even tastier offering from Matt Pearce & The Mutiny than Gotta Get Home, but are the musical goods for sale at this particular store as healthy, satisfying and fulfilling as the more spiritual meaning of Soul Food tends to represent?.
Well, let me put it this way; I’m immediately going back for seconds.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
As anyone familiar with Matt Pearce & The Mutiny and/ or debut album Gotta Get Home will know, the music is far removed from the rhythmically crunching hard rock of Voodoo Six.
Here Pearce song-writes and revels in his love of soul, funk and blues, sometimes as separate entities with a splash of another ingredient, but oft-times with all three in the musical melting pot, with satisfying results.
Opener 'Got a Thing Going On' is the perfect indicator of what’s on offer at The Soul Food Store (Chef Matt Pearce’s Special, if you will) – a funky dollop of up-tempo, soul-swinging horn-backed deliciousness (Terry Edwards (trumpet) and Steve Beighton (saxophone) feature on a number of the songs).
'All the Gods,' by contrast, is brooding and soul-bluesy, backed by some tasty organ flourishes from Jon Moody and feisty little guitar bursts from Matt Pearce; the rhythmically funky and Santana-esque 'Promised Land' (with Mark Greenfield adding additional percussion) is as biting as it is bristly.
The piano-led (one of Joe Mac’s two keyboard appearances) soul ballad 'Bring it All To Me' adds a new flavour to the Mutiny menu; Daliah Sherrington’s harmony vocals both enhance and strengthen Matt Peace’s lead vocal here, while Pearce delivers some graceful and tasteful slide work.
'From Here to the Moon' then offers up some infectious blues-jazz boogie (with more nifty and high-cryin' slide from Matt Pearce) before the title track announces itself with sultry Cuban sway, rhythmic groove and some nice acoustic guitar and organ interplay from Messrs Pearce & Moody.
Dance-floor blues-funk then comes by way of 'Don’t Take it So Hard,' which reflects the extended song style of Gotta Get Home by stretching out to seven-and-a-half minutes, allowing Daliah Sherrington and Matt Pearce to showcase their respective vocal and six-string talents on the tempo-changing (and very Floyd-esque) second half of the song.
'Never Get Away From Love' is funkadelic soul-blues of the snappiest order while 'A Better Way' retains the funk quotient while cleverly mixing of 60s beat-pop and 70s rock groove.
Penultimate number, the string-backed 'Beautiful Disguise,' drops the tempo to deliver the sweet and sentimental blues moment of the album; Matt Pearce is on the edge of his vocal comfort zone here but the vulnerability in his voice fits the song & lyric.
The album closes much the way it opened with the up-tempo and horn-backed 'King of the World,' which delivers a big beat and a feisty rock and soul-roll finish to proceedings.
This is an even tastier offering from Matt Pearce & The Mutiny than Gotta Get Home, but are the musical goods for sale at this particular store as healthy, satisfying and fulfilling as the more spiritual meaning of Soul Food tends to represent?.
Well, let me put it this way; I’m immediately going back for seconds.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Mick Pini / Audio54 – Pastoral & Are You Blind EPs
On the back of 2021’s critically successful Backtrack album (a Best Of collaboration between German based, Leicester blues veteran Mick Pini and Audio54 producer, remixer, songwriter and musician Craig Marshall) come two very diverse, intriguing and musically interesting EP’s from the pairing (an appetiser to a forthcoming full album’s worth of material).
Pastoral, released earlier this year, opens with a title track that reflects, and merges, Mick Pini’s three artistic loves – playing music, painting and photography (the latter also provides the EP’s cover).
Arranged across a fairly simple rhythmic beat, 'Pastoral' evokes images of more peaceful and tranquil times through the four-minute warmth of some delicate (yet evocative) playing, courtesy of Mick Pini’s guitar art.
Pini then revisits his back catalogue for 'Careless,' a bright and breezy radio friendly soul-pop affair that you can’t help but smile along to.
The Craig Marshall penned 'Spark,' which follows, puts the Audio 54 side of the partnership percussively up front and groove centre, counterpointed by a psychedelically-tinged vocal treatment and trippy (wah affected) guitar lines.
Final Pastoral track, the Instrumental 'Just Playin’,' has such an authentic throwback 60s feel to its funky sax, keyboard and guitar interplay that you’ll be checking the likes of the Chess Records archive to see what blues great came up with it first (which is quite the compliment in itself).
Pastoral, released earlier this year, opens with a title track that reflects, and merges, Mick Pini’s three artistic loves – playing music, painting and photography (the latter also provides the EP’s cover).
Arranged across a fairly simple rhythmic beat, 'Pastoral' evokes images of more peaceful and tranquil times through the four-minute warmth of some delicate (yet evocative) playing, courtesy of Mick Pini’s guitar art.
Pini then revisits his back catalogue for 'Careless,' a bright and breezy radio friendly soul-pop affair that you can’t help but smile along to.
The Craig Marshall penned 'Spark,' which follows, puts the Audio 54 side of the partnership percussively up front and groove centre, counterpointed by a psychedelically-tinged vocal treatment and trippy (wah affected) guitar lines.
Final Pastoral track, the Instrumental 'Just Playin’,' has such an authentic throwback 60s feel to its funky sax, keyboard and guitar interplay that you’ll be checking the likes of the Chess Records archive to see what blues great came up with it first (which is quite the compliment in itself).
The Are You Blind EP is even more diversified in its musical approach.
The reggae based title track, which incorporates some clever Audio54 effects, features an airy and fittingly trippy/ repeat vocal line from Mick Pini ("open up your mind... are you blind?") and funky splashes of blues guitar.
By contrast, the other six-minute number on the EP, the instrumental 'Late Night Blues,' is exactly that.
Mick Pini’s smooth and never over-played blues lines sit atop a horn-effected backing and simple rhythm; it’s a collaboration, but it’s also a Mick Pini showcase.
The other two tracks, 'Hard Lesson in Love' and 'Full Moon Blues,' feature lyrics from broadcaster, music promoter, writer and blues & rock lover Pete Feenstra.
The former is a short and sweet, almost forlorn blues ballad where Mick Pini’s huskier, yearning vocal ("love can be so hard, love can be so cruel") finds itself in the company of nothing more than a piano and sparingly used string sounds (Pini was so in tune with the lyrics that, once read, he recorded the track almost immediately).
The soul-funky and ever-so-slightly sinister 'Full Moon Blues' also works well, for the most part.
Mick Pini’s hoarser narrative vocal, background blues licks and a funky bass line all help set a scene but the repetitive drum machine rhythm is out of place with the mood (a more subtle brushes, jazz snare and cymbal approach may have fared better).
A get-together of Mick Pini and Craig Marshall may have initially raised a few eyebrows (certainly among the blues purists) but, as proven by Backtrack and the EPs (which in places are as experimental as they are expressive in their contemporary artistry), it’s quite the creative, boundary pushing partnership.
No playing it safe(ty net) for these boys.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The reggae based title track, which incorporates some clever Audio54 effects, features an airy and fittingly trippy/ repeat vocal line from Mick Pini ("open up your mind... are you blind?") and funky splashes of blues guitar.
By contrast, the other six-minute number on the EP, the instrumental 'Late Night Blues,' is exactly that.
Mick Pini’s smooth and never over-played blues lines sit atop a horn-effected backing and simple rhythm; it’s a collaboration, but it’s also a Mick Pini showcase.
The other two tracks, 'Hard Lesson in Love' and 'Full Moon Blues,' feature lyrics from broadcaster, music promoter, writer and blues & rock lover Pete Feenstra.
The former is a short and sweet, almost forlorn blues ballad where Mick Pini’s huskier, yearning vocal ("love can be so hard, love can be so cruel") finds itself in the company of nothing more than a piano and sparingly used string sounds (Pini was so in tune with the lyrics that, once read, he recorded the track almost immediately).
The soul-funky and ever-so-slightly sinister 'Full Moon Blues' also works well, for the most part.
Mick Pini’s hoarser narrative vocal, background blues licks and a funky bass line all help set a scene but the repetitive drum machine rhythm is out of place with the mood (a more subtle brushes, jazz snare and cymbal approach may have fared better).
A get-together of Mick Pini and Craig Marshall may have initially raised a few eyebrows (certainly among the blues purists) but, as proven by Backtrack and the EPs (which in places are as experimental as they are expressive in their contemporary artistry), it’s quite the creative, boundary pushing partnership.
No playing it safe(ty net) for these boys.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Pocket Gods - 1000×30 – Nobody Makes Money Anymore
"We're just an indie band briefly discovered by John Peel and more recently championed by Tom Robinson" states The Pocket Gods front man Mark Christopher Lee.
Which may well be, but they also became seriously newsworthy and went viral with one of the most interesting, and to be loudly applauded, finger-pointing, campaigning and quirkiest/ cleverest albums on behalf of all musicians and undervalued songwriters you’ll ever see, hear – or, ironically, stream.
The band’s album 1000×30 : Nobody Makes Money Anymore is very much aimed, through, as the album title suggests, 1000 (yep; count ‘em) songs that sit at around 30 seconds each (the longest is 36 seconds), at making a very valid, and unconscionable royalties point, against Spotify.
The album doesn’t just point the finger at Spotify however – songs with titles such as 'Mojo Mojo Why Don’t You Go and Review This album Instead of Another REM Blowjo;' 'YouTube Are Fleecing You;' 'Best Of Boris Johnson' (only 31 seconds long, natch), 'Another Bling Footballer' and 'Bono is Bigger Than the Beatles' underline that everything and everyone deserving of a slap is fair game.
But make no mistake, Daniel Ek (down to his last $2.5 billion, poor sod), his Spotify associates and their ill-gotten gains on the back of songwriter’s and musicians hard-earned craft are the focal point of this media attention grabbing album by the Indie rock band form St Albans.
At its core the album raises "awareness of the lack of fair and transparent royalties from music streaming" as Mark Christopher Lee so accurately and succinctly puts it.
And as for the short, sharp song length? "We decided to write 30 second songs as this is the length a song has to be to qualify for a royalty, so we though why write longer songs anymore?"
Campaigning for fair royalties from Spotify, an issue since Spotify first came into being, is more than justified, but it’s even more relevant now, given Spotify paid an obscene (but easily affordable because, well, you know) $100 million for the Joe Rogan Podcast, which went on to cause uproar and outrage after Rogan’s outspoken, "objectionable and offensive"” COVID-19 misinformation as aired on The Joe Rogan Experience.
Making the above monies paid obscenity worse is the fact that the royalty rate from Spotify has dropped from £0.007p per stream to £0.002p per stream, something that is not lost on The Pocket Gods through bleak opening number '0.0002,' another entitled '0.0007' (ah those heady, big money days), '3000 Streams For a Pint,' 'Nobody Makes Money Anymore' and, naturally a 'Best Of Joe Rogan. '
There’s also plenty of whimsical humour on display, from the dozens of 'Lockdown Day Number #' songs (what better way to spend lockdown than banging out yet another 30 second ditty) and the likes of 'I’m In With the Soundcloud' (aren’t we all) and the single 'Noel Gallagher Is Jealous Of My Studio' (and who knows, he may well be; he should certainly be green with envy on the publicity The Pocket Gods are getting).
In rather obvious summary, the very nature of 1000×30 : Nobody Makes Money Anymore (which directly/ lyrically references Spotify’s business model on many a song) means it’s at risk of being removed from the platform.
But then that would just draw further streaming payment investigation and media attention, so it’s potentially a win-win.
Nor can I think of any higher compliment than to be booted off Spotify, where The Pocket Gods would find themselves in the company of the luminary likes of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Which may well be, but they also became seriously newsworthy and went viral with one of the most interesting, and to be loudly applauded, finger-pointing, campaigning and quirkiest/ cleverest albums on behalf of all musicians and undervalued songwriters you’ll ever see, hear – or, ironically, stream.
The band’s album 1000×30 : Nobody Makes Money Anymore is very much aimed, through, as the album title suggests, 1000 (yep; count ‘em) songs that sit at around 30 seconds each (the longest is 36 seconds), at making a very valid, and unconscionable royalties point, against Spotify.
The album doesn’t just point the finger at Spotify however – songs with titles such as 'Mojo Mojo Why Don’t You Go and Review This album Instead of Another REM Blowjo;' 'YouTube Are Fleecing You;' 'Best Of Boris Johnson' (only 31 seconds long, natch), 'Another Bling Footballer' and 'Bono is Bigger Than the Beatles' underline that everything and everyone deserving of a slap is fair game.
But make no mistake, Daniel Ek (down to his last $2.5 billion, poor sod), his Spotify associates and their ill-gotten gains on the back of songwriter’s and musicians hard-earned craft are the focal point of this media attention grabbing album by the Indie rock band form St Albans.
At its core the album raises "awareness of the lack of fair and transparent royalties from music streaming" as Mark Christopher Lee so accurately and succinctly puts it.
And as for the short, sharp song length? "We decided to write 30 second songs as this is the length a song has to be to qualify for a royalty, so we though why write longer songs anymore?"
Campaigning for fair royalties from Spotify, an issue since Spotify first came into being, is more than justified, but it’s even more relevant now, given Spotify paid an obscene (but easily affordable because, well, you know) $100 million for the Joe Rogan Podcast, which went on to cause uproar and outrage after Rogan’s outspoken, "objectionable and offensive"” COVID-19 misinformation as aired on The Joe Rogan Experience.
Making the above monies paid obscenity worse is the fact that the royalty rate from Spotify has dropped from £0.007p per stream to £0.002p per stream, something that is not lost on The Pocket Gods through bleak opening number '0.0002,' another entitled '0.0007' (ah those heady, big money days), '3000 Streams For a Pint,' 'Nobody Makes Money Anymore' and, naturally a 'Best Of Joe Rogan. '
There’s also plenty of whimsical humour on display, from the dozens of 'Lockdown Day Number #' songs (what better way to spend lockdown than banging out yet another 30 second ditty) and the likes of 'I’m In With the Soundcloud' (aren’t we all) and the single 'Noel Gallagher Is Jealous Of My Studio' (and who knows, he may well be; he should certainly be green with envy on the publicity The Pocket Gods are getting).
In rather obvious summary, the very nature of 1000×30 : Nobody Makes Money Anymore (which directly/ lyrically references Spotify’s business model on many a song) means it’s at risk of being removed from the platform.
But then that would just draw further streaming payment investigation and media attention, so it’s potentially a win-win.
Nor can I think of any higher compliment than to be booted off Spotify, where The Pocket Gods would find themselves in the company of the luminary likes of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Pronghorn - Welcome to Pronghorn Country
Pronghorn (great name), the undisputed Kings of cowpunk (well they would be given it’s pretty much their own genre) celebrate 30 years of fast fiddle action and foot-tapping mash-up of rockabilly, punk, bluegrass, country, folk and Pronghorn Pilsner lager fuelled barn dancing hoedown with twelfth album Welcome to Pronghorn Country.
It’s a well-named album, given it does indeed take you across the musical landscape of what the current line-up (founder members/ ever-presents Toni Viagra (drums) and Lamma (vocals, banjo) along with Steve Gun (guitar, vocals), Ffi (fiddle & accordion), Aussie Mike (bass), Joe Mackintosh (fiddle, mandolin, vocals) are all about.
(the sextet are joined by Andy Law on washboard, an instrument that adds a rapid-fire shufflin’ and skifflin’ beat to many of the songs).
Best known as a rowdy, joyous, loud and cowpunk proud live act, Welcome to Pronghorn Country does however capture the high-energy hoedown-boogie of the band, as the perfectly named 'Psycho Ceilidh' both promises, and delivers, via a hurtling train-on-the-tracks bass & drums rhythm, gritty vocals and banjo and fiddle in overdrive.
Following number 'Spud Face,' which keeps up the cowpunk pace, is a wonderful mix of Chas and Dave (if they were form the west country) meeting The Pogues head on ("Ger’off my land, drink up quick, cider by the pint, spud face chancer!")
The pace then quickens for the dual fiddle-play of 'Reuben’s Train' before respite of sorts comes by way of 'Dead Wood,' an accordion led number that eschews the band’s cowpunk style for a more traditional European folk sound.
'Shady Grove,' which opens A cappella, is a bouncy and fairly faithful cover of the traditional Appalachian folk song; the fittingly galloping pace of western gunfight number 'Jed Jones 2' then creates its own genre: that of spaghetti western folk.
'Devil’s Daughter' has similar spaghetti western appeal (courtesy of Steve Gun’s guitar lines) but here mixed with bluegrass and more traditional accordion folk.
Another traditional cover, the well-known English folk song 'The Cuckoo' gets the up-tempo Pronghorn treatment (including a 'Shady Grove' reprise) before the rockin’ folk and bluegrass roll of 'Dirty Motel Blues' takes centre stage (see "rowdy, joyous, loud and cowpunk proud" above).
'Ghost Train' is another perfectly named track, rattling down the tracks at a scary, fiddle flying pace; similarly frantic is 'Soldier’s Tale,' which carries a very clever and cheeky lyric that’s not as bawdy or blue(grass) as may first be suggested.
The Instrumental 'Swamp Winch,' led in by banjo and fiddle, sets up a full-blown, 100mph, drink swiggin’ hoedown that showcases just how good the musicianship is; it’s also the perfect bookend to 'Psycho Ceilidh.'
Get the cider and Pronghorn Pilsner lager out; we’re having a barn dance, and no-one gets out sober. Cowpunk, baby.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
It’s a well-named album, given it does indeed take you across the musical landscape of what the current line-up (founder members/ ever-presents Toni Viagra (drums) and Lamma (vocals, banjo) along with Steve Gun (guitar, vocals), Ffi (fiddle & accordion), Aussie Mike (bass), Joe Mackintosh (fiddle, mandolin, vocals) are all about.
(the sextet are joined by Andy Law on washboard, an instrument that adds a rapid-fire shufflin’ and skifflin’ beat to many of the songs).
Best known as a rowdy, joyous, loud and cowpunk proud live act, Welcome to Pronghorn Country does however capture the high-energy hoedown-boogie of the band, as the perfectly named 'Psycho Ceilidh' both promises, and delivers, via a hurtling train-on-the-tracks bass & drums rhythm, gritty vocals and banjo and fiddle in overdrive.
Following number 'Spud Face,' which keeps up the cowpunk pace, is a wonderful mix of Chas and Dave (if they were form the west country) meeting The Pogues head on ("Ger’off my land, drink up quick, cider by the pint, spud face chancer!")
The pace then quickens for the dual fiddle-play of 'Reuben’s Train' before respite of sorts comes by way of 'Dead Wood,' an accordion led number that eschews the band’s cowpunk style for a more traditional European folk sound.
'Shady Grove,' which opens A cappella, is a bouncy and fairly faithful cover of the traditional Appalachian folk song; the fittingly galloping pace of western gunfight number 'Jed Jones 2' then creates its own genre: that of spaghetti western folk.
'Devil’s Daughter' has similar spaghetti western appeal (courtesy of Steve Gun’s guitar lines) but here mixed with bluegrass and more traditional accordion folk.
Another traditional cover, the well-known English folk song 'The Cuckoo' gets the up-tempo Pronghorn treatment (including a 'Shady Grove' reprise) before the rockin’ folk and bluegrass roll of 'Dirty Motel Blues' takes centre stage (see "rowdy, joyous, loud and cowpunk proud" above).
'Ghost Train' is another perfectly named track, rattling down the tracks at a scary, fiddle flying pace; similarly frantic is 'Soldier’s Tale,' which carries a very clever and cheeky lyric that’s not as bawdy or blue(grass) as may first be suggested.
The Instrumental 'Swamp Winch,' led in by banjo and fiddle, sets up a full-blown, 100mph, drink swiggin’ hoedown that showcases just how good the musicianship is; it’s also the perfect bookend to 'Psycho Ceilidh.'
Get the cider and Pronghorn Pilsner lager out; we’re having a barn dance, and no-one gets out sober. Cowpunk, baby.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Suzi Quatro – Back to the… Spotlight (Deluxe 2CD re-release)
Suzi Quatro, after something of a musical hiatus (only three albums in the 90s, one of which was a never released holdover from 1983 and another of primarily
re-recorded hits), went Back To The Drive in 2006.
Not via Devil Gate however but courtesy of Cherry Red Records, who released her comeback album of that name.
Produced by Sweet guitarist Andy Scott, along with Steve Grant, the album opens with a feisty "I’m ba-ack!" declaration and a Mike Chapman penned title track that nods to (and samples its intro from) 'Devil Gate Drive,' plus guitar line from 'Can The Can' (two of the many hit singles Suzi Quatro had back in the bass swinging, leather clad day).
But decades of later life lived leads to decades of broader musical breadth and commentary on what those decades have brought, heard to fine multi-styled effect on '15 Minutes of Fame' (a pop-jig slap at the wannabee reality stars), the slightly psychedelic 'Duality' (Indian raga in pop-rock form), the melodic pop of 'I’ll Walk Through The Fire With You' (featuring duet vocals from Suzi Quatro's daughter Laura Tuckey) and ballad 'Free the Butterfly.'
The latter's delicacy reflects back to the self-help/ healing therapy album of that name released in 1999 with sound healer Shirlie Boden (Boden also contributes some songwriting and backing vocals to Back To The Drive).
But it’s the more rocking material that shines on the album - 'I Don’t Do Gentle' is horn fuelled, doo-wop rock and roll; Neil Young’s 'Rockin’ in the Free World' gets the full Suzi Q treatment; the emphatic 'My Choice' is an autobiographical highlight; album closer 'Born Making Noise' is Quintessential (with a capital Q, natch) "Miss Suzi Q!"
This return to the Drive includes four bonus tracks; three demos of songs that would feature on the album and a cover of The Eagles 'Desperado,' featuring Jeff Beck on subtle but impacting guitar remarks.
Five years later Suzi Quatro was back In The Spotlight with her second Cherry Red release.
The Mike Chapman produced album, which was a more modern take on the original Quatro sound/ style, employed various writers (including Chapman) and a handful of covers to deliver a well-rounded album of Quatro rock, pop and balladeering.
Highlights include the Chapman penned trio of classic Quatro opener 'A Girl Like Me,' the AOR panache of 'Whatever Love Is' and the off-kilter kinkiness of contemporary rock number 'Rosie Rose.'
There are also great covers of Goldfrapp’s techno-beat song 'Strict Machine' (with mid-song 'Can the Can' nod) and the spikey 'Hot Kiss,' by Indie rockers Juliette and the Licks.
The album ends on a homage to Suzi Quatro’s hero, Elvis Presley with, first, a cover of 12 bar rock ‘n’ blues number 'Hard Headed Woman' and album closer, the Quatro penned ballad 'Singing With Angels,' which lyrically threads together many of Presley’s song-titles.
Recorded in Nashville 'Singing With Angels' also features Elvis Presley guitarist James Burton and the original Jordanaires.
There’s also a bonus track to enjoy, a Suzi Q’d rendition of Abba’s 'Does Your Mother Know' (here titled 'Does Your Mama Know') produced by, and featuring, Andy Scott.
Since these two albums Suzi Quatro has garnered something of a resurgence.
She has always been a top drawer touring attraction (especially in Australia where they cannot get enough of her) but the Quatro stock soared with 4CD anthology The Girl From Detroit City, the more concise Legend : Greatest His set, supergroup album Quatro, Scott & Powell, the Suzi Q DVD documentary (as seen on SKY Arts) and two further all-new studio releases, 2019’s No Control and last year’s The Devil in Me.
Both those studio albums follow in the rock and bass rolling footsteps of Back To The Drive and In The Spotlight, where it all (re)started.
"I’m ba-ack!"
Yes you are, Miss Q; long may your spotlight continue to shine.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
re-recorded hits), went Back To The Drive in 2006.
Not via Devil Gate however but courtesy of Cherry Red Records, who released her comeback album of that name.
Produced by Sweet guitarist Andy Scott, along with Steve Grant, the album opens with a feisty "I’m ba-ack!" declaration and a Mike Chapman penned title track that nods to (and samples its intro from) 'Devil Gate Drive,' plus guitar line from 'Can The Can' (two of the many hit singles Suzi Quatro had back in the bass swinging, leather clad day).
But decades of later life lived leads to decades of broader musical breadth and commentary on what those decades have brought, heard to fine multi-styled effect on '15 Minutes of Fame' (a pop-jig slap at the wannabee reality stars), the slightly psychedelic 'Duality' (Indian raga in pop-rock form), the melodic pop of 'I’ll Walk Through The Fire With You' (featuring duet vocals from Suzi Quatro's daughter Laura Tuckey) and ballad 'Free the Butterfly.'
The latter's delicacy reflects back to the self-help/ healing therapy album of that name released in 1999 with sound healer Shirlie Boden (Boden also contributes some songwriting and backing vocals to Back To The Drive).
But it’s the more rocking material that shines on the album - 'I Don’t Do Gentle' is horn fuelled, doo-wop rock and roll; Neil Young’s 'Rockin’ in the Free World' gets the full Suzi Q treatment; the emphatic 'My Choice' is an autobiographical highlight; album closer 'Born Making Noise' is Quintessential (with a capital Q, natch) "Miss Suzi Q!"
This return to the Drive includes four bonus tracks; three demos of songs that would feature on the album and a cover of The Eagles 'Desperado,' featuring Jeff Beck on subtle but impacting guitar remarks.
Five years later Suzi Quatro was back In The Spotlight with her second Cherry Red release.
The Mike Chapman produced album, which was a more modern take on the original Quatro sound/ style, employed various writers (including Chapman) and a handful of covers to deliver a well-rounded album of Quatro rock, pop and balladeering.
Highlights include the Chapman penned trio of classic Quatro opener 'A Girl Like Me,' the AOR panache of 'Whatever Love Is' and the off-kilter kinkiness of contemporary rock number 'Rosie Rose.'
There are also great covers of Goldfrapp’s techno-beat song 'Strict Machine' (with mid-song 'Can the Can' nod) and the spikey 'Hot Kiss,' by Indie rockers Juliette and the Licks.
The album ends on a homage to Suzi Quatro’s hero, Elvis Presley with, first, a cover of 12 bar rock ‘n’ blues number 'Hard Headed Woman' and album closer, the Quatro penned ballad 'Singing With Angels,' which lyrically threads together many of Presley’s song-titles.
Recorded in Nashville 'Singing With Angels' also features Elvis Presley guitarist James Burton and the original Jordanaires.
There’s also a bonus track to enjoy, a Suzi Q’d rendition of Abba’s 'Does Your Mother Know' (here titled 'Does Your Mama Know') produced by, and featuring, Andy Scott.
Since these two albums Suzi Quatro has garnered something of a resurgence.
She has always been a top drawer touring attraction (especially in Australia where they cannot get enough of her) but the Quatro stock soared with 4CD anthology The Girl From Detroit City, the more concise Legend : Greatest His set, supergroup album Quatro, Scott & Powell, the Suzi Q DVD documentary (as seen on SKY Arts) and two further all-new studio releases, 2019’s No Control and last year’s The Devil in Me.
Both those studio albums follow in the rock and bass rolling footsteps of Back To The Drive and In The Spotlight, where it all (re)started.
"I’m ba-ack!"
Yes you are, Miss Q; long may your spotlight continue to shine.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Troy Redfern – The Wings of Salvation
Troy Redfern has been in a musically prolific frame of slide-rockin’ blues mind of late.
Having released six albums in just under two years, Redfern now offers up The Wings of Salvation, an album he wrote in just five weeks and recorded old-school, laid down with no tricks or edits, and full takes.
The mid-tempo, uplifting rocker 'Gasoline' opens the album in typical Troy Redfern style – big, bold & brash with southern-slanted slide licks working overtime, as are drummer Paul Stewart and bassist Dave Marks (who also adds keys, percussion and backing vocals), collectively making the song as rhythmic (with an unusual but effective 7/8 time signature) as it is raucous (actually, make that rawk-ous).
The simple beat and hook of 'Sweet Carolina' is a guitar-snarly mixture of a rock and roll(ing) Stones and early-era Aerosmith, while the still simple but much bigger beat and boogie of 'Come On' is very much the calling card (the Ace of Club-stomp, no less) of Troy Redfern.
'Navajo' is, as the name might suggests, a western plains number (albeit in country-boogie form, with background banjo plucking courtesy of Dave Marks) that carries an impassioned lyrical nod to the eventual demise of the Native Americans and Navajo nation of the plains ("they’ve taken my freedom away, until my dying day").
The swagger of 'Mercy,' with a wicked little solo, brings a little rough and ready blues to proceedings (and another that conjures musical images of early Aerosmith and Tyler-esque snarl and drawl); the slower pace of 'Can’t Let Go,' which is almost a chain-gang lament to the dangers of world media negativity, adds further contrast.
Two highlights then follow back-to-back.
'Dark Religion' (a prequel to earlier Redfern album numbers 'Line' and 'Ghosts') is a dark-folk meets sea shanty waltz take on the old adage that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side (of the pond); the wild psychobilly ride of 'Profane,' which follows, is the sort of song no Troy Redfern album should ever be without (and seldom is).
'Down' and 'Heart & Soul' provide dovetailing contrast to close out the album.
The former’s tribal rhythm drives a full-on blast of Troy Redfern before a dreamier, almost psychedelic middle 8 hosts an unfettered Redfern solo before the song closes as it opened.
The latter is stripped back Redfern; vocal, forlorn guitar work (and complementary solo), kick drum and handclap rhythm effects bedeck a song that would work well in the live solo performance environment.
As strong an offering as The Wings of Salvation is, it can also be heard as not so much the follow on to 2021’s ...The Fire Cosmic! as the sequel to it, one year on.
Not that the album is treading musical water – it’s tried & tested Troy Redfern and this is exactly where he is as a musician and songwriter – but it does sound, in places, like an album that’s been forced into a more-of-the-same-please-crowd corner.
That Troy Redfern can offer more diversity and, indeed creativity, is not in doubt. Examples? Look and listen no further than his instrumental solo album Thunder Moon or his part played on the mostly improvised album Hotel Toledo by RHR (Redfern, Jack J Hutchinson, Mike Ross).
But, as interesting and impressive as the above albums are, they are unlikely to appeal to the blues rockin’ masses like The Wings of Salvation will, or does.
Be under no "sounds a bit like" illusion however, this is another impressive solo album from Troy Redfern with some standout moments, bolstered by predominant use of his beloved 1935 Dobro resonator and Magnatone Twilighter amp (a pairing that makes for a highly individualist sound and tone).
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Having released six albums in just under two years, Redfern now offers up The Wings of Salvation, an album he wrote in just five weeks and recorded old-school, laid down with no tricks or edits, and full takes.
The mid-tempo, uplifting rocker 'Gasoline' opens the album in typical Troy Redfern style – big, bold & brash with southern-slanted slide licks working overtime, as are drummer Paul Stewart and bassist Dave Marks (who also adds keys, percussion and backing vocals), collectively making the song as rhythmic (with an unusual but effective 7/8 time signature) as it is raucous (actually, make that rawk-ous).
The simple beat and hook of 'Sweet Carolina' is a guitar-snarly mixture of a rock and roll(ing) Stones and early-era Aerosmith, while the still simple but much bigger beat and boogie of 'Come On' is very much the calling card (the Ace of Club-stomp, no less) of Troy Redfern.
'Navajo' is, as the name might suggests, a western plains number (albeit in country-boogie form, with background banjo plucking courtesy of Dave Marks) that carries an impassioned lyrical nod to the eventual demise of the Native Americans and Navajo nation of the plains ("they’ve taken my freedom away, until my dying day").
The swagger of 'Mercy,' with a wicked little solo, brings a little rough and ready blues to proceedings (and another that conjures musical images of early Aerosmith and Tyler-esque snarl and drawl); the slower pace of 'Can’t Let Go,' which is almost a chain-gang lament to the dangers of world media negativity, adds further contrast.
Two highlights then follow back-to-back.
'Dark Religion' (a prequel to earlier Redfern album numbers 'Line' and 'Ghosts') is a dark-folk meets sea shanty waltz take on the old adage that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side (of the pond); the wild psychobilly ride of 'Profane,' which follows, is the sort of song no Troy Redfern album should ever be without (and seldom is).
'Down' and 'Heart & Soul' provide dovetailing contrast to close out the album.
The former’s tribal rhythm drives a full-on blast of Troy Redfern before a dreamier, almost psychedelic middle 8 hosts an unfettered Redfern solo before the song closes as it opened.
The latter is stripped back Redfern; vocal, forlorn guitar work (and complementary solo), kick drum and handclap rhythm effects bedeck a song that would work well in the live solo performance environment.
As strong an offering as The Wings of Salvation is, it can also be heard as not so much the follow on to 2021’s ...The Fire Cosmic! as the sequel to it, one year on.
Not that the album is treading musical water – it’s tried & tested Troy Redfern and this is exactly where he is as a musician and songwriter – but it does sound, in places, like an album that’s been forced into a more-of-the-same-please-crowd corner.
That Troy Redfern can offer more diversity and, indeed creativity, is not in doubt. Examples? Look and listen no further than his instrumental solo album Thunder Moon or his part played on the mostly improvised album Hotel Toledo by RHR (Redfern, Jack J Hutchinson, Mike Ross).
But, as interesting and impressive as the above albums are, they are unlikely to appeal to the blues rockin’ masses like The Wings of Salvation will, or does.
Be under no "sounds a bit like" illusion however, this is another impressive solo album from Troy Redfern with some standout moments, bolstered by predominant use of his beloved 1935 Dobro resonator and Magnatone Twilighter amp (a pairing that makes for a highly individualist sound and tone).
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Renaissance - Scheherazade and Other Stories (re-mastered & expanded Clamshell Box Edition)
Scheherazade and Other Stories, the fourth album by the classic, Annie Haslam led Renaissance and second to fully feature the band’s definitive line-up (Haslam - lead vocals; Michael Dunford - acoustic guitars, backing vocals; John Tout - keys, backing vocals; Jon Camp - bass, bass pedals, vocals; Terence Sullivan - drums, backing vocals, percussion) is, for many a critic, fan and band member, their finest work.
The main reason for such an accolade is the twenty-five minute orchestrated opus 'Song of Scheherazade,' which spanned all of Side Two on the original record.
A nine-part storytelling suite based on One Thousand and One (Arabian) Nights, 'Song of Scheherazade' is one of the finest (if not the finest) and earliest examples of classical and rock producing a masterwork that fuses both genres (interestingly, as documented in the accompanying 20 page booklet, the band believe it could have been even better than it was).
Not that the three song Side One was along just for the 33rpm ride.
Near eleven-minute opener 'Trip to the Fair,' a song that blended classical (through John Tout’s piano led introduction), carnival-styled music and jazzier folk-rock, is a whimsically arranged highlight.
Destined to become a Renaissance classic and live staple is Side One closer 'Ocean Gypsy,' a beautiful seven-minute, classically set ballad with equally beautiful, high-floating vocal from Annie Haslam.
Sitting between the two is 'The Vultures Fly High,' a short, pacey piece of pop-rock that takes aim at the critics who, for reasons best known to themselves, continued to belittle the band and their music.
The concept behind 'Song of Scheherazade' came from an idea Michael Dunford had a few years earlier, including a possible musical (which never came to fruition); by 1975 however the time was clearly right to bring Dunford’s Arabian Nights idea to musical fruition (influenced by, but not related to, 'Scheherazade/ Op. 35' by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov).
Nor did it hurt that the classically trained John Tout was clearly in his element, Jon Camp was able to make many of his bass parts sound almost cello like and the band’s primary lyricist, Betty Thatcher, captured the story/ narrative perfectly.
The trumpets of 'Fanfare' and galloping pace of the piano and orchestrated 'The Betrayal' set up the Song of Scheherazade, which makes its thematic entrance with 'The Sultan,' which features a Jon Camp lead vocal, high-harmony backing from Annie Haslam and the "She sings, Scheherazade…" motif that would make such an impact at song’s end.
'Love Theme,' written by Jon Camp and played beautifully on piano by John Tout, builds with orchestration to 'The Young Prince and Princess as told by Scheherazade;' the latter is delicately conveyed by Annie Haslam in her storytelling Scheherazade guise.
'Festival Preparations' provides vibrant, up-tempo musical contrast before John Tout’s 'Fugue For the Sultan' herald’s his excellency’s entrance. 'The Festival' then repeats the 'Preparations' motif before opening into a celebratory, jaunty acoustic & lyrics section.
'Finale' brings the whole piece to an emotive & joyous conclusion with, first, a reprise of Jon Camp & Annie Haslam’s "She sings…" duet before Miss Haslam soars solo to hit that "Schehera-zade!" note.
Spine duly tingled.
Re-released as a 24-bit digital re-master from the original master tapes by Ben Wiseman with bonus track (single version of 'Ocean Gypsy') and second disc featuring Renaissance Live at Nottingham University in 1976 (including 'Song Of Scheherazade' in full,) Scheherazade and Other Stories are tales worth re-telling.
This expanded edition also comes with a DVD featuring a 5.1 Surround Sound Up-Mix (again by Ben Wiseman), High Resolution Original Stereo Mix and three song promotional film from 1976.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The main reason for such an accolade is the twenty-five minute orchestrated opus 'Song of Scheherazade,' which spanned all of Side Two on the original record.
A nine-part storytelling suite based on One Thousand and One (Arabian) Nights, 'Song of Scheherazade' is one of the finest (if not the finest) and earliest examples of classical and rock producing a masterwork that fuses both genres (interestingly, as documented in the accompanying 20 page booklet, the band believe it could have been even better than it was).
Not that the three song Side One was along just for the 33rpm ride.
Near eleven-minute opener 'Trip to the Fair,' a song that blended classical (through John Tout’s piano led introduction), carnival-styled music and jazzier folk-rock, is a whimsically arranged highlight.
Destined to become a Renaissance classic and live staple is Side One closer 'Ocean Gypsy,' a beautiful seven-minute, classically set ballad with equally beautiful, high-floating vocal from Annie Haslam.
Sitting between the two is 'The Vultures Fly High,' a short, pacey piece of pop-rock that takes aim at the critics who, for reasons best known to themselves, continued to belittle the band and their music.
The concept behind 'Song of Scheherazade' came from an idea Michael Dunford had a few years earlier, including a possible musical (which never came to fruition); by 1975 however the time was clearly right to bring Dunford’s Arabian Nights idea to musical fruition (influenced by, but not related to, 'Scheherazade/ Op. 35' by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov).
Nor did it hurt that the classically trained John Tout was clearly in his element, Jon Camp was able to make many of his bass parts sound almost cello like and the band’s primary lyricist, Betty Thatcher, captured the story/ narrative perfectly.
The trumpets of 'Fanfare' and galloping pace of the piano and orchestrated 'The Betrayal' set up the Song of Scheherazade, which makes its thematic entrance with 'The Sultan,' which features a Jon Camp lead vocal, high-harmony backing from Annie Haslam and the "She sings, Scheherazade…" motif that would make such an impact at song’s end.
'Love Theme,' written by Jon Camp and played beautifully on piano by John Tout, builds with orchestration to 'The Young Prince and Princess as told by Scheherazade;' the latter is delicately conveyed by Annie Haslam in her storytelling Scheherazade guise.
'Festival Preparations' provides vibrant, up-tempo musical contrast before John Tout’s 'Fugue For the Sultan' herald’s his excellency’s entrance. 'The Festival' then repeats the 'Preparations' motif before opening into a celebratory, jaunty acoustic & lyrics section.
'Finale' brings the whole piece to an emotive & joyous conclusion with, first, a reprise of Jon Camp & Annie Haslam’s "She sings…" duet before Miss Haslam soars solo to hit that "Schehera-zade!" note.
Spine duly tingled.
Re-released as a 24-bit digital re-master from the original master tapes by Ben Wiseman with bonus track (single version of 'Ocean Gypsy') and second disc featuring Renaissance Live at Nottingham University in 1976 (including 'Song Of Scheherazade' in full,) Scheherazade and Other Stories are tales worth re-telling.
This expanded edition also comes with a DVD featuring a 5.1 Surround Sound Up-Mix (again by Ben Wiseman), High Resolution Original Stereo Mix and three song promotional film from 1976.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Ronnie Romero – Raised on Radio
Singer Ronnie Romero has covered many a rock classic while fronting various groups throughout his career (including Rainbow and the Michael Schenker Group).
No surprise then that solo project Raised On Radio (featuring guitarist Srdjan Brankovic, bassist Javi Garcia, drummer Andy C and Alessandro Del Vecchio on keys) Romero nods to various bands through an interesting selection of cover choices (and/ or singers) that have influenced him.
'Sin's a Good Man's Brother' (Grand Funk Railroad) kicks off proceedings and sets the tone.
Srdjan Brankovic contributes an epic guitar sound for the main riff (he also delivers a great solo, which reminds of Randy Rhoads) while Ronnie Romero delivers the vocal in his trademark, impassioned style.
The AOR rock of ‘Backstreet Love Affair’ (Survivor) follows, with Romero and band handling the number with ease (Alessandro Del Vecchio contributes an appropriate keyboard sound for a song that is rooted in the 80s).
‘No Smoke Without a Fire’ (Brian Howe era Bad Company), which suits Ronnie Romero’s voice perfectly, ups the rock-blues ante with a version that’s heavier than the original and sounding like a DIO number (the ghost of RJD hangs over much of this album and Romero’s rock timbre).
However 'I Was Born To Love You' (here closer to Queen’s rockier rework than Freddie Mercury’s more disco original) is an incongruous choice (it was a bit of disco-rock fluff then and it remains so now); Ronnie Romero’s vocal however is well delivered and pays homage, in style, to Mercury.
The rock-pomp of ‘Play The Game Tonight’ (Kansas) is a far better fit.
Another that suits Ronnie Romero’s vocals to a tee, the band easily change gear between the anthemic chorus and half time verse (Srdjan Brankovic once again impresses with his solo).
Reinforcing the Ronnie James Dio influence is 'Carolina County Ball' by Dio’s first band, Elf.
It sounds as if Ronnie Romero could sing the number in his sleep (and he probably can) but the musical reality is the song is not much more than a mid-tempo shuffle plodder until its up-tempo finale.
The AOR balladeering of ‘Girl On The Moon’ could only be by Foreigner, with Ronnie Romero doing pretty solid vocal justice to the Lou Gramm voiced original.
Weighty contrast is then provided by ‘Gypsy’ (Uriah Heep), which has been given an updated arrangement with heavier guitars. Tailor-made for Ronnie Romero, Andy C also impresses on 'Gypsy' with his drum parts.
(This guitar orientated version of what was a keyboard heavy original is an album highlight).
‘Voices’ (Russ Ballard) is another to be given the metal-ised treatment; like 'Gypsy' before it, it’s a successful update and reinterpretation of what was always a very good song.
Sadly Ronnie Romero and his band mates then choose to commit pseudo-grunge murder on Bob Dylan’s 'All Along the Watchtower,' as famously covered by Jimi Hendrix.
Romero handles the vocals well, naturally enough, but Andy C inexplicably contributes a drum part that sounds like he’s falling down the stairs with his kit during the verses, while guest lead guitarist Javier Reyes delivers a ham-fisted solo devoid of any subtlety.
Some redemption is provided via ‘Since I've Been Loving You.'
Unlike 'Watchtower' this a fairly faithful recreation of the original without overly tampering; Ronnie Romero clearly loves singing this song and the higher register employed gives the song some Plant-esque gravitas.
This version will probably make Led Zeppelin purists apoplectic (Srdjan Brankovic adds some shredding at the end of his solo) but it’s an enjoyable cover that fits the agenda of the album.
Outside of a couple of major fails, this is an expertly sung and played covers album that works as a teaser to Ronnie Romero’s debut solo album of all-new material, which is now in the works.
Indeed it would be a delight hear him in a longer-term solo band singing original songs with, hopefully, Srdjan Brankovic as the guitar foil.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
No surprise then that solo project Raised On Radio (featuring guitarist Srdjan Brankovic, bassist Javi Garcia, drummer Andy C and Alessandro Del Vecchio on keys) Romero nods to various bands through an interesting selection of cover choices (and/ or singers) that have influenced him.
'Sin's a Good Man's Brother' (Grand Funk Railroad) kicks off proceedings and sets the tone.
Srdjan Brankovic contributes an epic guitar sound for the main riff (he also delivers a great solo, which reminds of Randy Rhoads) while Ronnie Romero delivers the vocal in his trademark, impassioned style.
The AOR rock of ‘Backstreet Love Affair’ (Survivor) follows, with Romero and band handling the number with ease (Alessandro Del Vecchio contributes an appropriate keyboard sound for a song that is rooted in the 80s).
‘No Smoke Without a Fire’ (Brian Howe era Bad Company), which suits Ronnie Romero’s voice perfectly, ups the rock-blues ante with a version that’s heavier than the original and sounding like a DIO number (the ghost of RJD hangs over much of this album and Romero’s rock timbre).
However 'I Was Born To Love You' (here closer to Queen’s rockier rework than Freddie Mercury’s more disco original) is an incongruous choice (it was a bit of disco-rock fluff then and it remains so now); Ronnie Romero’s vocal however is well delivered and pays homage, in style, to Mercury.
The rock-pomp of ‘Play The Game Tonight’ (Kansas) is a far better fit.
Another that suits Ronnie Romero’s vocals to a tee, the band easily change gear between the anthemic chorus and half time verse (Srdjan Brankovic once again impresses with his solo).
Reinforcing the Ronnie James Dio influence is 'Carolina County Ball' by Dio’s first band, Elf.
It sounds as if Ronnie Romero could sing the number in his sleep (and he probably can) but the musical reality is the song is not much more than a mid-tempo shuffle plodder until its up-tempo finale.
The AOR balladeering of ‘Girl On The Moon’ could only be by Foreigner, with Ronnie Romero doing pretty solid vocal justice to the Lou Gramm voiced original.
Weighty contrast is then provided by ‘Gypsy’ (Uriah Heep), which has been given an updated arrangement with heavier guitars. Tailor-made for Ronnie Romero, Andy C also impresses on 'Gypsy' with his drum parts.
(This guitar orientated version of what was a keyboard heavy original is an album highlight).
‘Voices’ (Russ Ballard) is another to be given the metal-ised treatment; like 'Gypsy' before it, it’s a successful update and reinterpretation of what was always a very good song.
Sadly Ronnie Romero and his band mates then choose to commit pseudo-grunge murder on Bob Dylan’s 'All Along the Watchtower,' as famously covered by Jimi Hendrix.
Romero handles the vocals well, naturally enough, but Andy C inexplicably contributes a drum part that sounds like he’s falling down the stairs with his kit during the verses, while guest lead guitarist Javier Reyes delivers a ham-fisted solo devoid of any subtlety.
Some redemption is provided via ‘Since I've Been Loving You.'
Unlike 'Watchtower' this a fairly faithful recreation of the original without overly tampering; Ronnie Romero clearly loves singing this song and the higher register employed gives the song some Plant-esque gravitas.
This version will probably make Led Zeppelin purists apoplectic (Srdjan Brankovic adds some shredding at the end of his solo) but it’s an enjoyable cover that fits the agenda of the album.
Outside of a couple of major fails, this is an expertly sung and played covers album that works as a teaser to Ronnie Romero’s debut solo album of all-new material, which is now in the works.
Indeed it would be a delight hear him in a longer-term solo band singing original songs with, hopefully, Srdjan Brankovic as the guitar foil.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
The Mike Ross Band – Peach Jam
British singer-guitarist & multi-instrumentalist Mike Ross, who has a knack for mixing blues/rock, Americana and rootsier blues in fine musical style (as his Clovis Limit albums testify to) has been in a musically reflective and nostalgic frame of mind of late.
Following the Clovis Limit albums (and dovetailing Tennessee Transition release) Mike Ross cleaned up, restored, fully mixed and issued the never completed 1998 album Lay it Bare by Taller Than (a 60s/70s blues-rock styled power-trio featuring Ross, his brother Graeme on bass and drummer Mick Kelly).
He then found time to re-record a batch of songs from earlier in his career, subsequently releasing them as the fittingly titled Origin Story.
And, now, in what is a true labour of love, comes Peach Jam by the Mike Ross Band.
A retro-styled release, Peach Jam intentionally takes its lead (and not just in guitar solo terms) from the musical stylings of the Allman Brothers Band, specifically the 1971 Fillmore iteration (seeing the ABB in 1991, and subsequently buying their classic double live album At Fillmore East, were massive influences on a then teenage Mike Ross).
Peach Jam opens in superb ABB homage style (but with those Mike Ross change-ups, twists and turns) with a near 15 minute title track that musically describes a journey from Atlanta, Georgia down to Sarasota in Florida.
The changes in tempo and groove (or gear, if you wish to continue the driving analogy), along with the aforementioned Mike Ross twists, represent the journey from The Peach State (natch) to The Sunshine State.
From an airy ABB twin-guitar harmonies opening, the song ups its gears to a rockier boogie-shuffle (with some groovin’ organ soloing from Rob Millis and more twin harmony guitar action) as we hit the open road.
A return to the opening motif puts us in cruise control before a late-night-and-headlights sounding section morphs into a funkier & percussive movement featuring nifty guitar work, a cool Rhodes solo from Matt Slocum and some seriously tight rhythm work from bassist Derek Randall and drummer Darren Lee.
A reprise of the opening melody has us arriving in Sarasota before a backwards tape of said theme (are we sure this track wasn’t also recorded in 1971?) brings the journey to a conclusion.
'Grace' (a jaunty, country-folk acoustic and slide take on the traditional church melody) acts a nice interlude before the other long-form piece, the near eleven-minute 'Galadrielle,' takes centre stage.
A touching tribute to Duane Allman’s daughter (inspired by reading Galadrielle Allman’s book about a father she never knew), the four-part piece moves from a melodic, Allman-esque opening (with some evocative slide work) to what are clearly improvised sections, including an ABB styled boogie workout and a dream-like sequence featuring Moog synth and, again, a backwards section.
The one vocal track on the album is a reverential cover of Free’s deeper cut ballad 'Don’t Say You Love Me.' Its inclusion is an acknowledgement of the northern kinship of Paul Rodgers who, like Mike Ross, originates from the North East of England.
Mike Ross is no Paul Rodgers (who is?) but his late-song vocal vulnerability, where more exposed, adds to the yearning of the number.
Closing number 'Derek & Me' is a short, sweet and poignant acoustic slide memoriam for Mike Ross’s late father Derek; it delightfully conjures images of a father and son spending time together, and the ensuing memories.
A sixth album from Mike Ross in three years?
And one that pays instrumental homage to 70s era Allman Brothers Band?
Peachy.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Following the Clovis Limit albums (and dovetailing Tennessee Transition release) Mike Ross cleaned up, restored, fully mixed and issued the never completed 1998 album Lay it Bare by Taller Than (a 60s/70s blues-rock styled power-trio featuring Ross, his brother Graeme on bass and drummer Mick Kelly).
He then found time to re-record a batch of songs from earlier in his career, subsequently releasing them as the fittingly titled Origin Story.
And, now, in what is a true labour of love, comes Peach Jam by the Mike Ross Band.
A retro-styled release, Peach Jam intentionally takes its lead (and not just in guitar solo terms) from the musical stylings of the Allman Brothers Band, specifically the 1971 Fillmore iteration (seeing the ABB in 1991, and subsequently buying their classic double live album At Fillmore East, were massive influences on a then teenage Mike Ross).
Peach Jam opens in superb ABB homage style (but with those Mike Ross change-ups, twists and turns) with a near 15 minute title track that musically describes a journey from Atlanta, Georgia down to Sarasota in Florida.
The changes in tempo and groove (or gear, if you wish to continue the driving analogy), along with the aforementioned Mike Ross twists, represent the journey from The Peach State (natch) to The Sunshine State.
From an airy ABB twin-guitar harmonies opening, the song ups its gears to a rockier boogie-shuffle (with some groovin’ organ soloing from Rob Millis and more twin harmony guitar action) as we hit the open road.
A return to the opening motif puts us in cruise control before a late-night-and-headlights sounding section morphs into a funkier & percussive movement featuring nifty guitar work, a cool Rhodes solo from Matt Slocum and some seriously tight rhythm work from bassist Derek Randall and drummer Darren Lee.
A reprise of the opening melody has us arriving in Sarasota before a backwards tape of said theme (are we sure this track wasn’t also recorded in 1971?) brings the journey to a conclusion.
'Grace' (a jaunty, country-folk acoustic and slide take on the traditional church melody) acts a nice interlude before the other long-form piece, the near eleven-minute 'Galadrielle,' takes centre stage.
A touching tribute to Duane Allman’s daughter (inspired by reading Galadrielle Allman’s book about a father she never knew), the four-part piece moves from a melodic, Allman-esque opening (with some evocative slide work) to what are clearly improvised sections, including an ABB styled boogie workout and a dream-like sequence featuring Moog synth and, again, a backwards section.
The one vocal track on the album is a reverential cover of Free’s deeper cut ballad 'Don’t Say You Love Me.' Its inclusion is an acknowledgement of the northern kinship of Paul Rodgers who, like Mike Ross, originates from the North East of England.
Mike Ross is no Paul Rodgers (who is?) but his late-song vocal vulnerability, where more exposed, adds to the yearning of the number.
Closing number 'Derek & Me' is a short, sweet and poignant acoustic slide memoriam for Mike Ross’s late father Derek; it delightfully conjures images of a father and son spending time together, and the ensuing memories.
A sixth album from Mike Ross in three years?
And one that pays instrumental homage to 70s era Allman Brothers Band?
Peachy.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Scarlet Rebels – See Through Blue
The second album from Welsh rockers Scarlet Rebels, See Through Blue (a title that points to the door of Number 10 Downing Street and the social injustices/ divisiveness of the last couple of years), has already secured a lot of highly positive if premature "album of the year" nods (the album was released in January).
It's also been victim to some misplaced hyperbole, the best/ worst of which is surely "album for the ages." (opinions aside, by its very nature it could only ever be an album of its political and pandemic time).
But in the clear light of unbiased day, after the New Wave Of Classic Rock dust has settled on the album’s UK mainstream chart entry at #7, do Wayne Doyle (vocals), Chris Jones (lead guitar), Josh Townshend (second guitars, keys), Wayne “Pricey” Esmonde (bass) and Gary Doyle (drums) have a politic-rock album that merits that placing and the high praise press plaudits?
It certainly sets off in such a fashion.
Opener 'I’m Alive' is a slice of supercharged, mid-tempo Southern slanted rock with a delicious gap in the main riff (which has a familiar ring to it).
All concerned turn in great performances, with Chris Jones demonstrating his skill at both riffing and solos. In short, a guaranteed rabble-rousing rocker at live gigs.
'Storm' maintains the high standard, bolstered by some clever space and timing ideas in the riffs and a tasty wah-wah solo. The number is failed only by gratuitous Bon Jovi/ Leppard woah-oh’s, which detract from the song’s more contemporary rock and roll edge (said chorus section could have been better served with an additional line of lyrics).
'London Story' is jaunty pop-punk rock with scatter-gun lyrics while the contrasting 'These Days' is a radio friendly piece of AOR that acts as a clarion call to hold on in divisive times.
It’s also akin to Scarlet Rebels doing (Jon) Bon Jovi doing their best (or worst, dependant on pov) to sound like an impassioned E-Street Springsteen.
The fast-paced metal-boogie of ‘Take You Home’ ups the rock ante; delivered with musical & vocal passion, the lyric offers a comforting nod to those struggling with mental health issues ("raise your hand and we’ll take you home").
'I Can Sleep Now' drops both the tempo and intensity to sit as the mid-album, keyboard backed atmos-rock number before 'I Can’t Stay,' with a stonking staccato riff and impressive chorus, steps up to nominate itself as one of the best songs on the album.
'Take It' has big-beat big-chorus credentials but suffers from a done-to-death rock structure; following number, the acoustic-led, backlit iPhones-in-the-air ballad 'Leave a Light On' becomes, by its very nature, the album’s marmite moment.
'We’re Going Nowhere' is a return to form (spacey riff; bluesy mid-tempo swagger; melodic hook chorus) and its anti-Tory lyricism is worth a bonus point or three (as is the album’s Boris with demonic shadow cover).
The contemporary edged 'Everything Changed' is another strong showing, one graced by an anthemic melodic rock chorus and a tasty guitar solo.
The slow-build nature of the title track makes for a musically anticlimactic ending but the song is more about its finger-pointing political message relating to the pandemic ("Gaslighting a whole goddamn nation to push your contracts through… do as I say, not as I do").
See Through Blue has some truly great moments but the reality is while the album had the concept and the band had the campaign (and kudos for their ongoing food bank drive) there’s a whiff of Emperor’s New Clothes about its procession through the press crowd.
FabricationsHQ cited Scarlet Rebels debut album Show Your Colours as one of the best rock albums of that year; See Through Blue contains a number of great songs and some clever ideas – which leads to the conclusion that the third time might be the Welsh rock and roll charm offensive (but not as offensive as the current UK Government).
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
It's also been victim to some misplaced hyperbole, the best/ worst of which is surely "album for the ages." (opinions aside, by its very nature it could only ever be an album of its political and pandemic time).
But in the clear light of unbiased day, after the New Wave Of Classic Rock dust has settled on the album’s UK mainstream chart entry at #7, do Wayne Doyle (vocals), Chris Jones (lead guitar), Josh Townshend (second guitars, keys), Wayne “Pricey” Esmonde (bass) and Gary Doyle (drums) have a politic-rock album that merits that placing and the high praise press plaudits?
It certainly sets off in such a fashion.
Opener 'I’m Alive' is a slice of supercharged, mid-tempo Southern slanted rock with a delicious gap in the main riff (which has a familiar ring to it).
All concerned turn in great performances, with Chris Jones demonstrating his skill at both riffing and solos. In short, a guaranteed rabble-rousing rocker at live gigs.
'Storm' maintains the high standard, bolstered by some clever space and timing ideas in the riffs and a tasty wah-wah solo. The number is failed only by gratuitous Bon Jovi/ Leppard woah-oh’s, which detract from the song’s more contemporary rock and roll edge (said chorus section could have been better served with an additional line of lyrics).
'London Story' is jaunty pop-punk rock with scatter-gun lyrics while the contrasting 'These Days' is a radio friendly piece of AOR that acts as a clarion call to hold on in divisive times.
It’s also akin to Scarlet Rebels doing (Jon) Bon Jovi doing their best (or worst, dependant on pov) to sound like an impassioned E-Street Springsteen.
The fast-paced metal-boogie of ‘Take You Home’ ups the rock ante; delivered with musical & vocal passion, the lyric offers a comforting nod to those struggling with mental health issues ("raise your hand and we’ll take you home").
'I Can Sleep Now' drops both the tempo and intensity to sit as the mid-album, keyboard backed atmos-rock number before 'I Can’t Stay,' with a stonking staccato riff and impressive chorus, steps up to nominate itself as one of the best songs on the album.
'Take It' has big-beat big-chorus credentials but suffers from a done-to-death rock structure; following number, the acoustic-led, backlit iPhones-in-the-air ballad 'Leave a Light On' becomes, by its very nature, the album’s marmite moment.
'We’re Going Nowhere' is a return to form (spacey riff; bluesy mid-tempo swagger; melodic hook chorus) and its anti-Tory lyricism is worth a bonus point or three (as is the album’s Boris with demonic shadow cover).
The contemporary edged 'Everything Changed' is another strong showing, one graced by an anthemic melodic rock chorus and a tasty guitar solo.
The slow-build nature of the title track makes for a musically anticlimactic ending but the song is more about its finger-pointing political message relating to the pandemic ("Gaslighting a whole goddamn nation to push your contracts through… do as I say, not as I do").
See Through Blue has some truly great moments but the reality is while the album had the concept and the band had the campaign (and kudos for their ongoing food bank drive) there’s a whiff of Emperor’s New Clothes about its procession through the press crowd.
FabricationsHQ cited Scarlet Rebels debut album Show Your Colours as one of the best rock albums of that year; See Through Blue contains a number of great songs and some clever ideas – which leads to the conclusion that the third time might be the Welsh rock and roll charm offensive (but not as offensive as the current UK Government).
Nelson McFarlane & Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Slyder Smith & The Oblivion Kids - Charm Offensive
If ever a band defied labelling (death to genres, etc.) it’s Slyder Smith (guitarist with British power-pop glamsters Last Great Dreamers) and his new power trio The Oblivion Kids, featuring the latter-day Dreamers rhythm section of Tim Emery (bass) and Rik Pratt (drums).
Right from the off it’s evident this is a case of leave your genre at the door with spaghetti western styled instrumental 'El Encantador' (The Charmer); it all but guarantees a (first time) listener response of "where are they going next?”
The answer is pretty much everywhere, framed within a myriad of glam, punk, rock 'n' roll, pop and alt-rock influences (and, as one may expect, a couple of dashes of Last Great Dreamers).
Segueing from 'El Encantador' is 'Calico Queen,' which kicks in as if The Ramones have just met Mott The Hoople for a night out and a rock 'n' roll sing-song.
'Before I’m Done' then struts up to do its funkier and fun stuff, presenting itself as a "had enough" song that Toby Jepson and his Wayward Sons wouldn’t mind having in their repertoire.
The latter reference/ consideration is even more apparent on 'When the Rain Comes,' a bright and hooky affair that straddles post-punk pop (with little "whoa-oh!" interjections) and rock and roll, with Slyder Smith bearing very close vocal resemblance to the aforementioned Mt Jepson.
The tempo then drops for 'Crash Landing in Teenage Heaven,' a slower arrangement of a Last Great Dreamers song with Slyder Smith in duet with Nina Courson from the Healthy Junkies (and featuring a chorus that borrows heavily from the Stones 'Let’s Spend the Night Together').
'I Don’t Want to Run,' with banjo backing and a hook-chorus, pretty much invents alt-rock Americana; lyrically however it’s actually written from a dog’s perspective, specifically Slyder Smith’s late, ex-racing greyhound. Man’s best friend in life, death and lyricism.
'Maya' is a highly effective piece of alt-jangle pop bolstered by cute little lead guitar solo and organ backing (the Hammond and piano of Neil Scully feature on a couple of tracks).
The feisty and pacey 'Pleasure Victim' is a heady mix of late 70s UK post-punk and early 80s US sleaze-rock while following number, the short and punchy 'Road Love' is the closest thing to a rock song here (albeit more akin to a glam rock-blues with big (if simple two-word) chorus).
'Hope Without Warning' is the most interesting song on the album (it’s also by far the longest, clocking in at close to five-and-a-half minutes); the extended intro leads to a reflective, mid-tempo number that manages to blend the spirit of 60s psychedelia with more contemporary alt-pop whilst also nodding a little to both Lou Reed and (a more melancholic) Billy Idol.
Just when you think you’ve heard all sides of Slyder Smith The Oblivion Kids what should appear but Limahl’s 80s synth-pop classic 'NeverEnding Story,' here in more contemporary melodic rock-pop clothing.
Kicking it back up a notch or three is the title track, an infectious power-pop-punk number that’s both a faithful cover of the Last Great Dreamers song and a clarion call to new band arms.
A reprise of 'El Encantador' acts as the introduction to the similarly arranged instrumental 'No More Mr. Bad Guy,' an atmospheric blend of twanging western/ surf guitar stylings and "The Shadows Walk" rhythm.
In pre-release press Slyder Smith commented that "over the last year or so I’ve been working very hard developing my guitar playing, music & lyric writing, pulling myself in all sorts of directions, creating songs from the heart in no specific genre."
Mission Accomplished, Mr. Smith.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Right from the off it’s evident this is a case of leave your genre at the door with spaghetti western styled instrumental 'El Encantador' (The Charmer); it all but guarantees a (first time) listener response of "where are they going next?”
The answer is pretty much everywhere, framed within a myriad of glam, punk, rock 'n' roll, pop and alt-rock influences (and, as one may expect, a couple of dashes of Last Great Dreamers).
Segueing from 'El Encantador' is 'Calico Queen,' which kicks in as if The Ramones have just met Mott The Hoople for a night out and a rock 'n' roll sing-song.
'Before I’m Done' then struts up to do its funkier and fun stuff, presenting itself as a "had enough" song that Toby Jepson and his Wayward Sons wouldn’t mind having in their repertoire.
The latter reference/ consideration is even more apparent on 'When the Rain Comes,' a bright and hooky affair that straddles post-punk pop (with little "whoa-oh!" interjections) and rock and roll, with Slyder Smith bearing very close vocal resemblance to the aforementioned Mt Jepson.
The tempo then drops for 'Crash Landing in Teenage Heaven,' a slower arrangement of a Last Great Dreamers song with Slyder Smith in duet with Nina Courson from the Healthy Junkies (and featuring a chorus that borrows heavily from the Stones 'Let’s Spend the Night Together').
'I Don’t Want to Run,' with banjo backing and a hook-chorus, pretty much invents alt-rock Americana; lyrically however it’s actually written from a dog’s perspective, specifically Slyder Smith’s late, ex-racing greyhound. Man’s best friend in life, death and lyricism.
'Maya' is a highly effective piece of alt-jangle pop bolstered by cute little lead guitar solo and organ backing (the Hammond and piano of Neil Scully feature on a couple of tracks).
The feisty and pacey 'Pleasure Victim' is a heady mix of late 70s UK post-punk and early 80s US sleaze-rock while following number, the short and punchy 'Road Love' is the closest thing to a rock song here (albeit more akin to a glam rock-blues with big (if simple two-word) chorus).
'Hope Without Warning' is the most interesting song on the album (it’s also by far the longest, clocking in at close to five-and-a-half minutes); the extended intro leads to a reflective, mid-tempo number that manages to blend the spirit of 60s psychedelia with more contemporary alt-pop whilst also nodding a little to both Lou Reed and (a more melancholic) Billy Idol.
Just when you think you’ve heard all sides of Slyder Smith The Oblivion Kids what should appear but Limahl’s 80s synth-pop classic 'NeverEnding Story,' here in more contemporary melodic rock-pop clothing.
Kicking it back up a notch or three is the title track, an infectious power-pop-punk number that’s both a faithful cover of the Last Great Dreamers song and a clarion call to new band arms.
A reprise of 'El Encantador' acts as the introduction to the similarly arranged instrumental 'No More Mr. Bad Guy,' an atmospheric blend of twanging western/ surf guitar stylings and "The Shadows Walk" rhythm.
In pre-release press Slyder Smith commented that "over the last year or so I’ve been working very hard developing my guitar playing, music & lyric writing, pulling myself in all sorts of directions, creating songs from the heart in no specific genre."
Mission Accomplished, Mr. Smith.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Quint Starkie - Quintessential
Music fans who know the name of singer-songwriter-guitarist Quint Starkie will, more than likely, associate said name with another singer-songwriter-guitarist of some musical and lyrical note, Francis Dunnery, for whom the Swedish based Starkie plays with in Francis Dunnery’s It Bites.
The associations don’t end there; Quint Starkie is a major fan of Francis Dunnery and influenced by his acoustic based songwriting style and use of melody
(heard to not just fine but outstanding effect on Starkie’s 2016 solo album Ghost in My Heart).
While the Dunnery-isms are evident there’s self-made musical art and lyrical craft to Quint Starkie’s material, as heard on latest solo offering Quintessential (I see what you did there, Mr Starkie), an album that is lyrically personal but musically light, airy and pleasant as a cool breeze or coastal drive.
Perhaps not coincidence then that the album opens with 'Mr Maxwell,' a "car song" about a Sunday drive shared between father and young son. Carrying a delightful feel-good vibe, the song also offers up a nice correlation between drive-time and your favourite song/s on the radio ("push the pedal to the floor, try to squeeze a little more… Bowie’s on the radio (floating in a tin can!")
'Mr Maxwell' is one of two songs featured that first appeared as singles in 2020, better known as the year it all went pandemic-pear shaped. 'Mr Maxwell' and 'Endless Summer' (a reflective, smile-on-the-face song to love) were the better times ahead antithesis to the negativity of 2020; both deserve their Quintessential place here.
The newer material makes itself known across tracks such as the dreamy soul-pop of 'Just Like You,' which features delightful guitar remarks and lovely harmony & backing vocals (Tania Doko, Jule Wiegand, Dorie Jackson and Michael Kleimert all make themselves vocally known across various tracks) and the pop-bounce of 'Hollywood,' which is not without its poignancy ("LAX is the loneliest place in the world to find yourself when love takes off and leaves you…").
There seems to be a similar LA (dis)connection (Quint Starkie lived in LA for a time) in the ballad 'Fear of Flying' ("I’m conquering this fear of flying, but taking off without you is frightening") while the acoustic-led 'Home Again' is a lovely, re-grounding oneself number on the benefits of returning to where you truly belong ("thank you for the blessings of my family tree, my home is where my heart wants to be").
There’s more pop-fun (with a soupçon of 70s era Stevie Wonder circling in the background) to be had with the simple but ridiculously engaging 'Falling For the First Time' before 'Something I Couldn’t Be' (a Bonus Track for Japan, where the album has CD release – global release later this month) closes out the album in the most moving of hard-choice circumstances ("When ambition finally hit me there was nothing I could do, California was there waiting and she chose me over you").
Deeply personal in places it may be but this album is, as the title so emphatically states, Quintessential singer-songwriter listening.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The associations don’t end there; Quint Starkie is a major fan of Francis Dunnery and influenced by his acoustic based songwriting style and use of melody
(heard to not just fine but outstanding effect on Starkie’s 2016 solo album Ghost in My Heart).
While the Dunnery-isms are evident there’s self-made musical art and lyrical craft to Quint Starkie’s material, as heard on latest solo offering Quintessential (I see what you did there, Mr Starkie), an album that is lyrically personal but musically light, airy and pleasant as a cool breeze or coastal drive.
Perhaps not coincidence then that the album opens with 'Mr Maxwell,' a "car song" about a Sunday drive shared between father and young son. Carrying a delightful feel-good vibe, the song also offers up a nice correlation between drive-time and your favourite song/s on the radio ("push the pedal to the floor, try to squeeze a little more… Bowie’s on the radio (floating in a tin can!")
'Mr Maxwell' is one of two songs featured that first appeared as singles in 2020, better known as the year it all went pandemic-pear shaped. 'Mr Maxwell' and 'Endless Summer' (a reflective, smile-on-the-face song to love) were the better times ahead antithesis to the negativity of 2020; both deserve their Quintessential place here.
The newer material makes itself known across tracks such as the dreamy soul-pop of 'Just Like You,' which features delightful guitar remarks and lovely harmony & backing vocals (Tania Doko, Jule Wiegand, Dorie Jackson and Michael Kleimert all make themselves vocally known across various tracks) and the pop-bounce of 'Hollywood,' which is not without its poignancy ("LAX is the loneliest place in the world to find yourself when love takes off and leaves you…").
There seems to be a similar LA (dis)connection (Quint Starkie lived in LA for a time) in the ballad 'Fear of Flying' ("I’m conquering this fear of flying, but taking off without you is frightening") while the acoustic-led 'Home Again' is a lovely, re-grounding oneself number on the benefits of returning to where you truly belong ("thank you for the blessings of my family tree, my home is where my heart wants to be").
There’s more pop-fun (with a soupçon of 70s era Stevie Wonder circling in the background) to be had with the simple but ridiculously engaging 'Falling For the First Time' before 'Something I Couldn’t Be' (a Bonus Track for Japan, where the album has CD release – global release later this month) closes out the album in the most moving of hard-choice circumstances ("When ambition finally hit me there was nothing I could do, California was there waiting and she chose me over you").
Deeply personal in places it may be but this album is, as the title so emphatically states, Quintessential singer-songwriter listening.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Starlite Campbell Band – Starlite Campbell Band : Live! and Live! 2
A songwriting strength of the Starlite Campbell Band (formed around husband & wife team Simon Campbell (vocals, guitars) and Suzy Starlite Campbell (bass, vocals)) is the diversity – a mix of blues, rock, folk and harmony-pop sensibilities that continually push boundaries beyond the norm for such genres.
It's a creative, smorgasbord approach that cleverly remains cohesive and musically focussed.
Latest studio album The Language Of Curiosity is an excellent and savoury case in tasty point, but such musical breadth is also to be heard in the live environment, where no show (or song for that matter) is ever the same twice.
Starlite Campbell Band : Live! and Live! 2 are, therefore, not any sort of definitive live performance/ showcases because there are no definitive live showcases; every gig entertains, every gig is different, each with its own vibe (and always fun).
Which means the fact these live albums are culled from various years (covering shows from 2018, 2019 and 2021, recorded in Bury and Oldham) actually serves better than a one-gig recording.
Take 'Brother' for example, the first track on SCB : Live! and a song from Simon Campbell’s 2013 solo album Thirtysix – here it eschews its original four minute studio arrangement to become an eight minute pop-rockin’ blues, powered by a bubbly bass line and an extended instrumental break that’s as guitar funky as it is Hammond groovy (the latter courtesy of keys player Christian Madden, who features on the 2021 numbers).
And anyone thinking this is a band who are too diverse to blues it out need only listen to the 10 minute rendering of 'Cry Over You' from debut album Blueberry Pie; Simon Campbell’s yearning guitar lines (which are decidedly Moore-esque on the intro and finale solo) plaintively sit atop some great Hammond backing and a simple but tight rhythm from Suzy Starlite and the band’s resident drummer, Steve Gibson.
'Take Time To Grow Old,' from The Language Of Curiosity, retains the Beatles meets melodic blues charm of the studio version; its album mate 'Said So' then cranks up the blues rocking tempo with its nod and a riff wink to 'Get Ready,' before hitting an extended, bass-driven instrumental section that features wailing Theremin and psychedelic guitar soloing.
The slow blues sway of Blueberry Pie number 'Guilty,' featuring Suzy Starlite on vocals, is another to get the extended treatment (through some really nice guitar play from Simon Campbell); the Thirtysix brace of 'Preacher Of Love' and 'Misgivings' then get a live airing.
The former, a funky riffed rhythm and rock blues, features Jonny Henderson on the rippling tones of the Hammond; the latter, also featuring Henderson, is a shufflin’ great jazz-blues that jams out to twice its studio length.
SCB : Live! closes out on a cover of 'Whiter Shade of Pale,' featuring Procol Harum organist Josh Phillips, who joined the band for their 2019 tour shows.
It's a creative, smorgasbord approach that cleverly remains cohesive and musically focussed.
Latest studio album The Language Of Curiosity is an excellent and savoury case in tasty point, but such musical breadth is also to be heard in the live environment, where no show (or song for that matter) is ever the same twice.
Starlite Campbell Band : Live! and Live! 2 are, therefore, not any sort of definitive live performance/ showcases because there are no definitive live showcases; every gig entertains, every gig is different, each with its own vibe (and always fun).
Which means the fact these live albums are culled from various years (covering shows from 2018, 2019 and 2021, recorded in Bury and Oldham) actually serves better than a one-gig recording.
Take 'Brother' for example, the first track on SCB : Live! and a song from Simon Campbell’s 2013 solo album Thirtysix – here it eschews its original four minute studio arrangement to become an eight minute pop-rockin’ blues, powered by a bubbly bass line and an extended instrumental break that’s as guitar funky as it is Hammond groovy (the latter courtesy of keys player Christian Madden, who features on the 2021 numbers).
And anyone thinking this is a band who are too diverse to blues it out need only listen to the 10 minute rendering of 'Cry Over You' from debut album Blueberry Pie; Simon Campbell’s yearning guitar lines (which are decidedly Moore-esque on the intro and finale solo) plaintively sit atop some great Hammond backing and a simple but tight rhythm from Suzy Starlite and the band’s resident drummer, Steve Gibson.
'Take Time To Grow Old,' from The Language Of Curiosity, retains the Beatles meets melodic blues charm of the studio version; its album mate 'Said So' then cranks up the blues rocking tempo with its nod and a riff wink to 'Get Ready,' before hitting an extended, bass-driven instrumental section that features wailing Theremin and psychedelic guitar soloing.
The slow blues sway of Blueberry Pie number 'Guilty,' featuring Suzy Starlite on vocals, is another to get the extended treatment (through some really nice guitar play from Simon Campbell); the Thirtysix brace of 'Preacher Of Love' and 'Misgivings' then get a live airing.
The former, a funky riffed rhythm and rock blues, features Jonny Henderson on the rippling tones of the Hammond; the latter, also featuring Henderson, is a shufflin’ great jazz-blues that jams out to twice its studio length.
SCB : Live! closes out on a cover of 'Whiter Shade of Pale,' featuring Procol Harum organist Josh Phillips, who joined the band for their 2019 tour shows.
Following the neat and tidily selected song choice of the earlier in the year Live! release comes the sequel, the rather obviously titled Live! 2
A companion to the first live album in every way (think a double album issued in two separate instalments) Live! 2, like its predecessor, borrows from Simon Campbell’s solo repertoire (four from Thirtysix and one from the accompanying EP), thus avoiding the all-too-easy trick of just featuring songs that lean to the latest, or recently released, studio album.
In the case of the latter that would be the band’s excellent multi-styled album The Language of Curiosity, from which only the title track features (60s pop meets Blondie with Campbell & Starlite in perfect vocal harmony).
There’s also three songs from the band’s tasty (pun intended) Blueberry Pie debut album, including the Booker T/ 'Green Onions' styled groove of 'Walkin’ Out the Door' (with thick sounding, psychedelic styled solo from Simon Campbell mid-song) and old-school blues rocking muscle of 'You’re So Good For Me' (bolstered by some bubbly bass lines from Suzy Starlite and a cool and groovin’ Hammond solo from Jonny Henderson).
The other Blueberry Pie song, the dreamy melodic blues of 'I Need a Light,' segues from Thirtysix tune 'Brother,' which also featured on the first live album – on the latter 'Brother' extended to an eight minute workout with guitar funky instrumental break but here, in slightly shorter form, it sets up (via a rolling bass line) the aforementioned 'I Need a Light.'
There’s also a two-song classic covers medley – the iconic intro of the 'Peter Gunn Theme' (here with an almost angular guitar attack) quickly leading to a vibrant and brash 'Shakin’ All Over.'
Of the Simon Campbell solo songs on display, highlights include the balshy, blues rock swagger of 'I Like it Like That' and contrasting slow blues number (and Simon Campbell showcase) 'Still Got Time to Be My Baby,' which does its best impression (in musical pathos and lyrical approach) of 'Need Your Love so Bad' (no bad comparison, let’s be honest).
Starlite Campbell Band Live! and Starlite Campbell Band Live! 2
Doubling the performance and enjoyment value – and twice the fun.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
A companion to the first live album in every way (think a double album issued in two separate instalments) Live! 2, like its predecessor, borrows from Simon Campbell’s solo repertoire (four from Thirtysix and one from the accompanying EP), thus avoiding the all-too-easy trick of just featuring songs that lean to the latest, or recently released, studio album.
In the case of the latter that would be the band’s excellent multi-styled album The Language of Curiosity, from which only the title track features (60s pop meets Blondie with Campbell & Starlite in perfect vocal harmony).
There’s also three songs from the band’s tasty (pun intended) Blueberry Pie debut album, including the Booker T/ 'Green Onions' styled groove of 'Walkin’ Out the Door' (with thick sounding, psychedelic styled solo from Simon Campbell mid-song) and old-school blues rocking muscle of 'You’re So Good For Me' (bolstered by some bubbly bass lines from Suzy Starlite and a cool and groovin’ Hammond solo from Jonny Henderson).
The other Blueberry Pie song, the dreamy melodic blues of 'I Need a Light,' segues from Thirtysix tune 'Brother,' which also featured on the first live album – on the latter 'Brother' extended to an eight minute workout with guitar funky instrumental break but here, in slightly shorter form, it sets up (via a rolling bass line) the aforementioned 'I Need a Light.'
There’s also a two-song classic covers medley – the iconic intro of the 'Peter Gunn Theme' (here with an almost angular guitar attack) quickly leading to a vibrant and brash 'Shakin’ All Over.'
Of the Simon Campbell solo songs on display, highlights include the balshy, blues rock swagger of 'I Like it Like That' and contrasting slow blues number (and Simon Campbell showcase) 'Still Got Time to Be My Baby,' which does its best impression (in musical pathos and lyrical approach) of 'Need Your Love so Bad' (no bad comparison, let’s be honest).
Starlite Campbell Band Live! and Starlite Campbell Band Live! 2
Doubling the performance and enjoyment value – and twice the fun.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Jason Sweeney – Welcome to Bathvegas EP
Scottish singer-songwriter-musician Jason Sweeney has followed up his hard melodic rock orientated 2021 EP Unknown Direction with another EP offering entitled Welcome to Bathvegas (a cheeky but endearing nod to one of his most played/ loved haunts, the famous DreadnoughtRock venue in Bathgate, Scotland’s longest running rock club).
'Without Love' makes for a bright and bristling opener with equally bright and bristling guitars and that trademark Sweeney-sound of up-tempo melodic rock and simple but highly effective chorus hooks (here bolstered by Sweeney’s own backing vocal accompaniment).
Previous single 'Drinking for the Weekend' is a glasses charged rock ‘n’ roller that might be the simplest song Jason Sweeny (and guitarist Scott Hannah) will ever write (three chords, a beat and off we go); but its simplicity is highly effective, here complete with organ backing (keys on the EP come courtesy of Craig Rolls) and tasty little solo from Hannah.
It also contains that most Scottish of drink downing lines, "a midweek swally!" (could all non-Scots please report to Google).
By contrast 'Love By The Hour' (also co-written with Scott Hannah) is a downtempo, made-in-the-80s throaty-vocal rock ballad that UK’s leading melodic rock exponents FM will be wondering how they didn’t come up with it first (and, not for the first time, make one wonder why a label such as Frontiers Records (who have FM on their books) haven’t yet got interested in Jason Sweeney).
'Georgia Sunshine' might be the closest of the five numbers to map Jason Sweeney’s melodic DNA.
An up-tempo, feel-good number that features a big beat, thick guitar chord riff, organ, little piano embellishments, a hook chorus and a hint of Americana country 'Georgia Sunshine,' in a different time and place, would be blasting out of car speakers on both US coasts (and maybe even Nashville rock radio).
The mid-tempo, air-punching vibe of 'Road I Take' is a little too Bon Jovi in places (not least the near end of song "woah-oh-ohs") but its mix of grittier, self-affirming voiced verses and poppier, AOR hook choruses do provide interesting contrast.
'The Road I Take' is, however, the perfect closing statement.
Having delivered two albums with The King Lot (including the outstanding A World Without Evil, which didn’t come close to getting the wider recognition it deserved), Jason Sweeney has now taken the solo route, one that started with an Unknown Direction and has now led to a fork in the road – As You Were Avenue or Bigger Things Street.
One can only hope the future leads to a trip down the much deserved latter.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Welcome to Bathvegas and other Jason Sweeney merch at: https://jasonsweeney.bigcartel.com/
'Without Love' makes for a bright and bristling opener with equally bright and bristling guitars and that trademark Sweeney-sound of up-tempo melodic rock and simple but highly effective chorus hooks (here bolstered by Sweeney’s own backing vocal accompaniment).
Previous single 'Drinking for the Weekend' is a glasses charged rock ‘n’ roller that might be the simplest song Jason Sweeny (and guitarist Scott Hannah) will ever write (three chords, a beat and off we go); but its simplicity is highly effective, here complete with organ backing (keys on the EP come courtesy of Craig Rolls) and tasty little solo from Hannah.
It also contains that most Scottish of drink downing lines, "a midweek swally!" (could all non-Scots please report to Google).
By contrast 'Love By The Hour' (also co-written with Scott Hannah) is a downtempo, made-in-the-80s throaty-vocal rock ballad that UK’s leading melodic rock exponents FM will be wondering how they didn’t come up with it first (and, not for the first time, make one wonder why a label such as Frontiers Records (who have FM on their books) haven’t yet got interested in Jason Sweeney).
'Georgia Sunshine' might be the closest of the five numbers to map Jason Sweeney’s melodic DNA.
An up-tempo, feel-good number that features a big beat, thick guitar chord riff, organ, little piano embellishments, a hook chorus and a hint of Americana country 'Georgia Sunshine,' in a different time and place, would be blasting out of car speakers on both US coasts (and maybe even Nashville rock radio).
The mid-tempo, air-punching vibe of 'Road I Take' is a little too Bon Jovi in places (not least the near end of song "woah-oh-ohs") but its mix of grittier, self-affirming voiced verses and poppier, AOR hook choruses do provide interesting contrast.
'The Road I Take' is, however, the perfect closing statement.
Having delivered two albums with The King Lot (including the outstanding A World Without Evil, which didn’t come close to getting the wider recognition it deserved), Jason Sweeney has now taken the solo route, one that started with an Unknown Direction and has now led to a fork in the road – As You Were Avenue or Bigger Things Street.
One can only hope the future leads to a trip down the much deserved latter.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Welcome to Bathvegas and other Jason Sweeney merch at: https://jasonsweeney.bigcartel.com/
Eddie Tatton - Burning Flame : The Lost Tapes
One year after Eddie Tatton’s multi-styled and rather excellent Canons Under Flowers comes the new-that-actually-isn’t-new mini-album Burning Flame : The Lost Tapes.
By way of explanation (although the sub-title of the album pretty much tells you all you need to know) the seven tracks that make up Burning Flame are older songs that have only recently come to light, now collated and released on Stunted Records, an independent label that champions those whose aim is to create interesting music and true musical artistry (in whatever genre).
The results are a mini-album that isn’t so much a precursor to Canons Under Flowers (nor any sort of follow-on to Eddie Tatton's time with Kevin Thorpe's Out Of The Blue) as simply another facet of Tatton’s songwriting, exemplary guitar skills and musical styles.
The title track, which opens the album, carries a distinctly Indian/ eastern flavour within its rhythmic cadence as well as a lovely vocal from Helen Raeburn (guitars and most instrumentation across the seven tracks are by Eddie Tatton); the juxtaposition of Tatton’s melodic blues solo mid-song cleverly changes the dynamic, while staying true to the core of the number (Raeburn is also a little bluesy in her vocal approach).
'Higher,' which also features Helen Raeburn, is an atmospheric and swaying piece where programming plays as much a part as the song’s groove – a great solo here too from Eddie Tatton.
'Fuzz Interlude' is just that, a short ‘n’ funky instrumental featuring fuzzed guitar (shades of Neal Schon back in his fusion days) and a pumpin’ bass line. It sounds like it just jumped out of the musical melting pot of the early 70s (no bad thing).
The Nashville styled makeover applied to Aretha Franklin’s soul hit 'Baby, I Love You,' featuring vocalist Wendy Martin and a rhythm section of Simon Sparks (bass) & Nigel Lobley (drums), allows Eddie Tatton to deliver some deft blues licks before a couple of soul-pop numbers (again featuring Wendy Martin) come calling.
The soul-funky interpretation of Doyle Bramhall II’s 'Marry You' gives the song a cool-sounding vibe (complemented by equally cool sounding bursts of guitar from Eddie Tatton and a tasty solo) while following number 'Set Me Free' is as soul-cool as it is musically breezy.
The latter wouldn’t be out of place in a late night soul-jazz club while the guitar play from Tatton would be worth the admission fee to said club on its own.
The ninety-second 'Outro,' a jazzy Latin vignette piece, brings a stylistically wide ranging collection of songs to a close.
Dusted down and sonically cleaned up (recorded & mixed by Eddie Tatton and expertly mastered by Wayne Proctor for House of Tone) these seven newly discovered tracks have found a deserved (re)lease of life as a mini-album.
Burning Flame : The Lost Tapes is also another great example of just how good a guitarist Eddie Tatton is.
And that’s very good indeed.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Burning Flame : The Lost Tapes is available on Stunted Records and via the label's Bandcamp page:
https://stuntedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/eddie-tatton-burning-flame-the-lost-tapes
By way of explanation (although the sub-title of the album pretty much tells you all you need to know) the seven tracks that make up Burning Flame are older songs that have only recently come to light, now collated and released on Stunted Records, an independent label that champions those whose aim is to create interesting music and true musical artistry (in whatever genre).
The results are a mini-album that isn’t so much a precursor to Canons Under Flowers (nor any sort of follow-on to Eddie Tatton's time with Kevin Thorpe's Out Of The Blue) as simply another facet of Tatton’s songwriting, exemplary guitar skills and musical styles.
The title track, which opens the album, carries a distinctly Indian/ eastern flavour within its rhythmic cadence as well as a lovely vocal from Helen Raeburn (guitars and most instrumentation across the seven tracks are by Eddie Tatton); the juxtaposition of Tatton’s melodic blues solo mid-song cleverly changes the dynamic, while staying true to the core of the number (Raeburn is also a little bluesy in her vocal approach).
'Higher,' which also features Helen Raeburn, is an atmospheric and swaying piece where programming plays as much a part as the song’s groove – a great solo here too from Eddie Tatton.
'Fuzz Interlude' is just that, a short ‘n’ funky instrumental featuring fuzzed guitar (shades of Neal Schon back in his fusion days) and a pumpin’ bass line. It sounds like it just jumped out of the musical melting pot of the early 70s (no bad thing).
The Nashville styled makeover applied to Aretha Franklin’s soul hit 'Baby, I Love You,' featuring vocalist Wendy Martin and a rhythm section of Simon Sparks (bass) & Nigel Lobley (drums), allows Eddie Tatton to deliver some deft blues licks before a couple of soul-pop numbers (again featuring Wendy Martin) come calling.
The soul-funky interpretation of Doyle Bramhall II’s 'Marry You' gives the song a cool-sounding vibe (complemented by equally cool sounding bursts of guitar from Eddie Tatton and a tasty solo) while following number 'Set Me Free' is as soul-cool as it is musically breezy.
The latter wouldn’t be out of place in a late night soul-jazz club while the guitar play from Tatton would be worth the admission fee to said club on its own.
The ninety-second 'Outro,' a jazzy Latin vignette piece, brings a stylistically wide ranging collection of songs to a close.
Dusted down and sonically cleaned up (recorded & mixed by Eddie Tatton and expertly mastered by Wayne Proctor for House of Tone) these seven newly discovered tracks have found a deserved (re)lease of life as a mini-album.
Burning Flame : The Lost Tapes is also another great example of just how good a guitarist Eddie Tatton is.
And that’s very good indeed.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Burning Flame : The Lost Tapes is available on Stunted Records and via the label's Bandcamp page:
https://stuntedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/eddie-tatton-burning-flame-the-lost-tapes
Greig Taylor Band – Born To Love You EP
Scottish singer-songwriter Greig Taylor, while very much blues influenced, offers husky-voiced versatility (and genuine vocal sincerity) across not just the aforementioned genre but soul/ gospel, roots, rock and pop.
Such strengths and traits have been heard with GT's Boos Band, The GT Blues Combo, The Blind Lemon Gators (featuring rootsy and emotive slide talent Iain Donald) and on Taylor’s laid back, soulfully arranged covers album #Songbook1, which included songs from the likes of Neil Diamond, Paul Carrack, Alicia Keys and Foreigner.
There’s similar blues-toned width and depth on Born To Love You, a 4-track EP that acts a precursor to forthcoming Greig Taylor Band album The Light.
The EP also features Grieg Taylor’s new band – the singer and his go-to drummer Dave Cantwell (formerly with the legendary John Martyn) are joined by former Marianne Faithful and Big Dish guitarist Brian McFie and original Zal Cleminson’s Sin Dogs members, Nelson McFarlane (bass) and David Cowan (keys).
The EP is led by the guitar rocking, piano rattling and blues rolling title track, which features double-Grammy nominated US blues & gospel singer Earl Thomas (Greig Taylor & Thomas sang together as part of the latter's The Gospel According… shows that toured the UK and parts of Europe in 2018; prior to the Covid pandemic they were offered the chance to open for multi-Grammy award winner Alicia Keys).
Keeping fine musical company with 'Born To Love You,' and showcasing three more sides of the Greig Taylor Band, are the Latin/ Cuban styled 'I Should’ve Known' and two live recordings – a shufflin’ great rendition of GT’s Boos Band number 'Crucifixion Blues' (here punctuated by honky-tonk piano and not blues harp – and all the better for it) and contrasting, contemporary AOR ballad 'Tears in my Beer.’
The latter, driven by a pulsating bass-line, carries personal meaning for Greig Taylor but it’s a song that's musically effective, and lyrically reflective, in its own emotive right.
The Born To Love You EP is a great, showcasing all-aspects introduction to the new Greig Taylor Band as we head toward The Light this summer.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Such strengths and traits have been heard with GT's Boos Band, The GT Blues Combo, The Blind Lemon Gators (featuring rootsy and emotive slide talent Iain Donald) and on Taylor’s laid back, soulfully arranged covers album #Songbook1, which included songs from the likes of Neil Diamond, Paul Carrack, Alicia Keys and Foreigner.
There’s similar blues-toned width and depth on Born To Love You, a 4-track EP that acts a precursor to forthcoming Greig Taylor Band album The Light.
The EP also features Grieg Taylor’s new band – the singer and his go-to drummer Dave Cantwell (formerly with the legendary John Martyn) are joined by former Marianne Faithful and Big Dish guitarist Brian McFie and original Zal Cleminson’s Sin Dogs members, Nelson McFarlane (bass) and David Cowan (keys).
The EP is led by the guitar rocking, piano rattling and blues rolling title track, which features double-Grammy nominated US blues & gospel singer Earl Thomas (Greig Taylor & Thomas sang together as part of the latter's The Gospel According… shows that toured the UK and parts of Europe in 2018; prior to the Covid pandemic they were offered the chance to open for multi-Grammy award winner Alicia Keys).
Keeping fine musical company with 'Born To Love You,' and showcasing three more sides of the Greig Taylor Band, are the Latin/ Cuban styled 'I Should’ve Known' and two live recordings – a shufflin’ great rendition of GT’s Boos Band number 'Crucifixion Blues' (here punctuated by honky-tonk piano and not blues harp – and all the better for it) and contrasting, contemporary AOR ballad 'Tears in my Beer.’
The latter, driven by a pulsating bass-line, carries personal meaning for Greig Taylor but it’s a song that's musically effective, and lyrically reflective, in its own emotive right.
The Born To Love You EP is a great, showcasing all-aspects introduction to the new Greig Taylor Band as we head toward The Light this summer.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Joanne Shaw Taylor – Blues From the Heart : Live (CD+DVD)
In many ways Joanne Shaw Taylor’s career road, and passion for the blues (birthed from the blues-rock orientated framework of her earlier releases), has led to Blues From The Heart Live, a recorded & pro-filmed memento of Taylor’s showcase performance at Tennessee’s Franklin Theatre (and her first live show in two years).
At The Franklin Miss Taylor also found herself in good musical company; her band for the special performance featured Rob McNelley (guitar), Steve Mackey (bass), Jimmy Wallace (keys, piano), Nick Buda (drums), Devonne Fowlkes & Kim Fleming (backing vocals), some sax appeal and three guests including Joe Bonamassa, who had a hand (actually both hands) in shaping Taylor’s excellent covers collective of last year, The Blues Album.
Indeed while the plaudits for Bonamassa as a guitarist, recording artist and live performer seem to be never-ending (much like his prolific output) his greatest gift to the blues world in the last few years is his Keeping The Blues Alive record label.
(Through KTBA Bonamassa and co-producer/ guitarist Josh Smith showcase under-appreciated talent, such as slide supremo Joanna Connor, or those that deserve a second lease of too-long-in-the-shadows life, like the great Larry McCray).
Joanne Shaw Taylor is hardly an unknown in blues rock circles, especially in the UK, but Blues From The Heart Live solidifies her place as a noteworthy blues artist, both in husky-voiced vocality and her six-string skills.
The album/ set-list revisits The Blues Album in its entirety (excepting the short and frankly throwaway studio out-take 'Scraps Vignette'); such promotional and hard-sell set-listing can be seen as both a positive (it reinforces the strength of the material and JST’s performances/ delivery of that material) and a negative...
JST has six previous studio albums peppered with exceptionally good, original material; a set that only features four of those originals (including the rambunctious boogie of 'Dyin’ To Know' and melancholic slow blues 'I’ve Been Loving You Too Long' – a highlight of the entire set in vocal maturity and guitar play) is a missed opportunity.
That said the opening one-two of classic 12 bar shuffle 'Stop Messin' Round' (Jimmy Wallace’s honky-tonk styled piano sharing space with JST’s big, bold blues licks) and a sax-backed rendition of Little Milton’s 'If That Ain’t a Reason' (with sassy vocal and equally sassy guitar solo from JST) makes for a fine introduction to blues proceedings.
Blues From The Heart Live also helps showcase how JST has developed vocally and musically as a blues artist, heard/ seen to fine effect when sharing the six-string spotlight with Kenny Wayne Shepherd on a spirited, blues sultry rendition of Albert King’s 'Can’t You See What You’re Doing to Me' and vocally duetting with Mike Farris (reprising his Blues Album vocal role) on the Don Cavey penned soul-gospel ballad 'I Don’t Know What You’ve Got.'
The set culminates in a three song run-in featuring Joe Bonamassa with, first, the rockabilly-lite fun and shared vocals of 'Don’t Go Away Mad,' followed by the Janis Joplin arrangement of classic Gershwin number 'Summertime.'
The album/ set then ends on the Delaney & Bonnie duet arrangement of Dave Mason’s up-tempo and funky 'Only You Know And I Know.'
(The DVD includes a bonus song not featured on the CD, a cover of Gregg Allman’s 'I’m No Angel').
Yes, all roads (via Bonamassa Avenue) may have led to Blues From The Heart Live, but it will be interesting to see where the now wider road takes Joanne Shaw Taylor next.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
At The Franklin Miss Taylor also found herself in good musical company; her band for the special performance featured Rob McNelley (guitar), Steve Mackey (bass), Jimmy Wallace (keys, piano), Nick Buda (drums), Devonne Fowlkes & Kim Fleming (backing vocals), some sax appeal and three guests including Joe Bonamassa, who had a hand (actually both hands) in shaping Taylor’s excellent covers collective of last year, The Blues Album.
Indeed while the plaudits for Bonamassa as a guitarist, recording artist and live performer seem to be never-ending (much like his prolific output) his greatest gift to the blues world in the last few years is his Keeping The Blues Alive record label.
(Through KTBA Bonamassa and co-producer/ guitarist Josh Smith showcase under-appreciated talent, such as slide supremo Joanna Connor, or those that deserve a second lease of too-long-in-the-shadows life, like the great Larry McCray).
Joanne Shaw Taylor is hardly an unknown in blues rock circles, especially in the UK, but Blues From The Heart Live solidifies her place as a noteworthy blues artist, both in husky-voiced vocality and her six-string skills.
The album/ set-list revisits The Blues Album in its entirety (excepting the short and frankly throwaway studio out-take 'Scraps Vignette'); such promotional and hard-sell set-listing can be seen as both a positive (it reinforces the strength of the material and JST’s performances/ delivery of that material) and a negative...
JST has six previous studio albums peppered with exceptionally good, original material; a set that only features four of those originals (including the rambunctious boogie of 'Dyin’ To Know' and melancholic slow blues 'I’ve Been Loving You Too Long' – a highlight of the entire set in vocal maturity and guitar play) is a missed opportunity.
That said the opening one-two of classic 12 bar shuffle 'Stop Messin' Round' (Jimmy Wallace’s honky-tonk styled piano sharing space with JST’s big, bold blues licks) and a sax-backed rendition of Little Milton’s 'If That Ain’t a Reason' (with sassy vocal and equally sassy guitar solo from JST) makes for a fine introduction to blues proceedings.
Blues From The Heart Live also helps showcase how JST has developed vocally and musically as a blues artist, heard/ seen to fine effect when sharing the six-string spotlight with Kenny Wayne Shepherd on a spirited, blues sultry rendition of Albert King’s 'Can’t You See What You’re Doing to Me' and vocally duetting with Mike Farris (reprising his Blues Album vocal role) on the Don Cavey penned soul-gospel ballad 'I Don’t Know What You’ve Got.'
The set culminates in a three song run-in featuring Joe Bonamassa with, first, the rockabilly-lite fun and shared vocals of 'Don’t Go Away Mad,' followed by the Janis Joplin arrangement of classic Gershwin number 'Summertime.'
The album/ set then ends on the Delaney & Bonnie duet arrangement of Dave Mason’s up-tempo and funky 'Only You Know And I Know.'
(The DVD includes a bonus song not featured on the CD, a cover of Gregg Allman’s 'I’m No Angel').
Yes, all roads (via Bonamassa Avenue) may have led to Blues From The Heart Live, but it will be interesting to see where the now wider road takes Joanne Shaw Taylor next.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Howling Tides - Blue Moon EP
To quote from Planet Rock Magazine, hard rock quartet The Howling Tides "are a gimmick-free band who play muscular rock delivered with brute force."
It’s a comment that’s hard to argue with, coupled with similar appraisals such as FabricationsHQ’s sign-off on the band’s self-titled debut EP of 2018 – "If you’re looking for the definition of 'hard hitting' (in musical terms), The Howling Tides might just be your boys."
However as heard on new 5 track EP Blue Moon, the band – Rob Baynes (lead vocals/guitar), Hayden Kirk (guitar/backing vocals), Adam Brewell (bass/backing vocals), Steven "Herbie" Herbert (drums) – may have retained their gimmick-free, no nonsense approach and heavy blues rock boisterousness, but more importantly, they have also bettered themselves in terms of song writing, musical dynamics and musicianship.
A broader hard rock canvas, if you will.
Opener and recent single 'Thalia' carries within its big, bold and loud rock-blues swagger a contemporary edge and a classic rock sound akin to a Zeppelin-esque chest-strutting vibe.
Similarly weighty and riff heavy is 'Cut Your Losses,' featuring Rob Baynes giving it plenty in the vocal department and a big, thick guitar sound (mention here for the album’s sonic ID courtesy of a production from the band & Andrew Banfield, with additional production, mixing and mastering from British blues guitarist/ singer Oli Brown).
That broader canvas bears musical fruit on the downtempo and bluesy 'Fortune Never Favoured Me.'
The near seven-minute number might not be the first song the heavy rock fans head for but it’s the centre-point of the EP – with a fairly understated (but passionately delivered) vocal from Rob Baynes, simple but beautifully effective arrangement (both vocal and arrangement build toward song’s end), and a tasteful guitar solo, it’s an out and out winner.
The tempo-shifting title track underlines the band’s clever use and knowledge of dynamics, flitting and shifting from contemporary southern blues rock influences to brooding verses and British rock riffage.
The coalesced results are one of the band’s best songs to date.
The contemporary blues rock and pile-driving pound of 'White Crow,' the other single released from the EP (with a not insignificant 110k + streams on Spotify), closes out Blue Moon in as fine a style as 'Thalia' opened it.
The Howling Tides self-titled debut EP made for a pretty impacting opening statement, but Blue Moon betters it by some distance.
Indeed it’s the sort of EP you would expect from a bunch of passionate young rock guns who already have the likes of Ricky Warwick singing their praises – time will yet tell, but it’s not impossible The Howling Tides will turn out to be the type of contemporary meets classic heavy rock band that comes around once in a… well, you know.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Blue Moon EP can be purchased at https://thehowlingtides.noisemerchants.com along with exclusive merch deals, including the repress of the debut EP.
It’s a comment that’s hard to argue with, coupled with similar appraisals such as FabricationsHQ’s sign-off on the band’s self-titled debut EP of 2018 – "If you’re looking for the definition of 'hard hitting' (in musical terms), The Howling Tides might just be your boys."
However as heard on new 5 track EP Blue Moon, the band – Rob Baynes (lead vocals/guitar), Hayden Kirk (guitar/backing vocals), Adam Brewell (bass/backing vocals), Steven "Herbie" Herbert (drums) – may have retained their gimmick-free, no nonsense approach and heavy blues rock boisterousness, but more importantly, they have also bettered themselves in terms of song writing, musical dynamics and musicianship.
A broader hard rock canvas, if you will.
Opener and recent single 'Thalia' carries within its big, bold and loud rock-blues swagger a contemporary edge and a classic rock sound akin to a Zeppelin-esque chest-strutting vibe.
Similarly weighty and riff heavy is 'Cut Your Losses,' featuring Rob Baynes giving it plenty in the vocal department and a big, thick guitar sound (mention here for the album’s sonic ID courtesy of a production from the band & Andrew Banfield, with additional production, mixing and mastering from British blues guitarist/ singer Oli Brown).
That broader canvas bears musical fruit on the downtempo and bluesy 'Fortune Never Favoured Me.'
The near seven-minute number might not be the first song the heavy rock fans head for but it’s the centre-point of the EP – with a fairly understated (but passionately delivered) vocal from Rob Baynes, simple but beautifully effective arrangement (both vocal and arrangement build toward song’s end), and a tasteful guitar solo, it’s an out and out winner.
The tempo-shifting title track underlines the band’s clever use and knowledge of dynamics, flitting and shifting from contemporary southern blues rock influences to brooding verses and British rock riffage.
The coalesced results are one of the band’s best songs to date.
The contemporary blues rock and pile-driving pound of 'White Crow,' the other single released from the EP (with a not insignificant 110k + streams on Spotify), closes out Blue Moon in as fine a style as 'Thalia' opened it.
The Howling Tides self-titled debut EP made for a pretty impacting opening statement, but Blue Moon betters it by some distance.
Indeed it’s the sort of EP you would expect from a bunch of passionate young rock guns who already have the likes of Ricky Warwick singing their praises – time will yet tell, but it’s not impossible The Howling Tides will turn out to be the type of contemporary meets classic heavy rock band that comes around once in a… well, you know.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The Blue Moon EP can be purchased at https://thehowlingtides.noisemerchants.com along with exclusive merch deals, including the repress of the debut EP.
The Round Window – The Round Window
Rich Lock, singer with Essex based quintet The Round Window, may well be of an age to recall Playschool and "the round (and square and arched) window" (which will now have those not of a certain age heading for Google).
But it’s a better bet that the new-ish band (formed in 2018 as a duo of Rich and his youngest son Thomas Lock sharing vocal, guitar and keyboard duties) are taking reference from the round window of the ear, which helps ensure the "basilar membrane will be stimulated and that audition (the transition of sound waves) will occur."
You’re welcome.
There is also every chance those of a certain vintage will find warm familiarity (and the aforementioned audio stimulation) through The Round Window's self-titled debut album, which musically hearkens back to the mid-70s and that transitional period where classic British heavy rock and prog developed softer, atmospheric rock branches (the sadly short-lived Illusion featuring Jane Relf and Jim McCarty come to mind, albeit in no way a direct comparison).
With Rich and Thomas Lock now joined by elder Lock son Jack (drums), David Brazington (guitars) and Dietmar Schantin (bass), the band have delivered an eight track debut that won’t be exciting the metal-heads or heavy rock fraternity but will certainly delight those of us who have a penchant for atmospheric and progressively shaped soft-rock.
Melding acoustic, soft-prog, folk elements and pop with classic & melodic rock, The Round Window have created and delivered a truly widescreen work, from delicate but highly atmospheric instrumental opener 'The Window' to beautiful nine-minute album closer 'The Chance' ('The Window' also acts as a prequel-echo of 'The Chance').
The latter, a long-form ode to "new beginnings" and a chance to "build it all again, learn the lessons of the past," is initially as atmospheric as it is delicate (Rich Lock’s vocal accompanied by a simple repeating piano motif and occasional, well-placed guitar remark).
The number then increases in tempo for a climatic yet controlled finale, with the entire band, and vocals, in perfect "all in your hands" harmony before deftly returning to the song’s opening delicacy.
Between those bookend pieces are six more numbers that all make a mark.
The six-and-a-half minutes of 'Take My Hand' is the rockier side of the band (it melodically rocks in such a timeless style that it could have been written in the 80s or last week); the song drops for the Middle 8 before building to a "take my hand!" finale, bolstered by a short but sparkling Schon-esque guitar solo from David Brazington (the band’s secret weapon).
'Among The Clouds' is an up-tempo number that has the appeal of being both contemporary and mid-70s melodic-pop in nature; the song features synth textures and, again, a tasty guitar solo that doesn’t outstay its welcome.
The melancholic-rock of 'Victory,' featuring Angela Gordon (Mostly Autumn/ Odin Dragonfly) on flute and dual harmony vocal choruses, offers plaintive contrast; following number, the bluesier 'Out Of Time,' sits atop a pulsating groove from Jack Lock and Dietmar Schantin before morphing into a beautifully uplifting second half, where keys play a bigger part.
(That both numbers are around seven minutes long yet don’t seem like it tells you all you need to know about the sonic immersion).
'Nobody Home' is a reflective, mid-tempo piece built around well-arranged piano and keyboard parts that support Rich Lock’s vocal melancholy ("I won’t return again!") while the ethereal textures and wistful charm of 'Avalon' match the mythical and longing nature of the title ("you’re not the only one, with dreams of Avalon").
Produced, expertly mixed (and mastered) by Robin Armstrong (Cosmograf), The Round Window have come up with a bit of a widescreen winner.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But it’s a better bet that the new-ish band (formed in 2018 as a duo of Rich and his youngest son Thomas Lock sharing vocal, guitar and keyboard duties) are taking reference from the round window of the ear, which helps ensure the "basilar membrane will be stimulated and that audition (the transition of sound waves) will occur."
You’re welcome.
There is also every chance those of a certain vintage will find warm familiarity (and the aforementioned audio stimulation) through The Round Window's self-titled debut album, which musically hearkens back to the mid-70s and that transitional period where classic British heavy rock and prog developed softer, atmospheric rock branches (the sadly short-lived Illusion featuring Jane Relf and Jim McCarty come to mind, albeit in no way a direct comparison).
With Rich and Thomas Lock now joined by elder Lock son Jack (drums), David Brazington (guitars) and Dietmar Schantin (bass), the band have delivered an eight track debut that won’t be exciting the metal-heads or heavy rock fraternity but will certainly delight those of us who have a penchant for atmospheric and progressively shaped soft-rock.
Melding acoustic, soft-prog, folk elements and pop with classic & melodic rock, The Round Window have created and delivered a truly widescreen work, from delicate but highly atmospheric instrumental opener 'The Window' to beautiful nine-minute album closer 'The Chance' ('The Window' also acts as a prequel-echo of 'The Chance').
The latter, a long-form ode to "new beginnings" and a chance to "build it all again, learn the lessons of the past," is initially as atmospheric as it is delicate (Rich Lock’s vocal accompanied by a simple repeating piano motif and occasional, well-placed guitar remark).
The number then increases in tempo for a climatic yet controlled finale, with the entire band, and vocals, in perfect "all in your hands" harmony before deftly returning to the song’s opening delicacy.
Between those bookend pieces are six more numbers that all make a mark.
The six-and-a-half minutes of 'Take My Hand' is the rockier side of the band (it melodically rocks in such a timeless style that it could have been written in the 80s or last week); the song drops for the Middle 8 before building to a "take my hand!" finale, bolstered by a short but sparkling Schon-esque guitar solo from David Brazington (the band’s secret weapon).
'Among The Clouds' is an up-tempo number that has the appeal of being both contemporary and mid-70s melodic-pop in nature; the song features synth textures and, again, a tasty guitar solo that doesn’t outstay its welcome.
The melancholic-rock of 'Victory,' featuring Angela Gordon (Mostly Autumn/ Odin Dragonfly) on flute and dual harmony vocal choruses, offers plaintive contrast; following number, the bluesier 'Out Of Time,' sits atop a pulsating groove from Jack Lock and Dietmar Schantin before morphing into a beautifully uplifting second half, where keys play a bigger part.
(That both numbers are around seven minutes long yet don’t seem like it tells you all you need to know about the sonic immersion).
'Nobody Home' is a reflective, mid-tempo piece built around well-arranged piano and keyboard parts that support Rich Lock’s vocal melancholy ("I won’t return again!") while the ethereal textures and wistful charm of 'Avalon' match the mythical and longing nature of the title ("you’re not the only one, with dreams of Avalon").
Produced, expertly mixed (and mastered) by Robin Armstrong (Cosmograf), The Round Window have come up with a bit of a widescreen winner.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Andy Timmons – Electric Truth
American guitarist Andy Timmons (Danger Danger, Pawn Kings, Simon Phillips, Andy Timmons Band, among others) is a versatile and much sought-after player (from music director & guitarist for Olivia Newton John and sessions for Paula Abdul to recording albums with Kip Winger and Simon Philips).
But at his six-string heart beats an instrumental rock guitarist of the highest calibre (Andy Timmons has played alongside the likes of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert and Eric Johnson, to name but four).
Such a trait is heard to exceptionally fine effect on latest solo offering Electric Truth, which opens with the preposterously funky, Hammond-ised blues of 'E.W.F.' (Timmons’ intro to the solo alone demonstrates what a player he is, his mastery of tone and signature style).
The relatively short, melodic but ever-changing 'Apocryphal' is one of those anthemic numbers at which Andy Timmons excels; indeed it could easily sit amongst his work with Simon Phillips’ Protocol, with its inherent twists, turns and key changes.
'Johnnie T,' featuring guest guitarist Josh Smith, is a more straight ahead rocker.
The melody parts are of top quality while the extended trading of licks between Andy Timmons and Josh Smith (who has a less overdriven and more blues-based sound) in the fade out is a particular delight.
'When Words Fail,' which has taken on a new lease of emotive life as a donatory Benefit for Ukraine, is an example of Andy Timmons at his down-tempo, emotionally-wrought, tonal best.
The song’s structure is akin to a Roy Buchanan number from yesteryear, but the intensity of Timmons’ playing, note choice and sense of dynamics is off the scale.
The number also includes interesting key changes (Andy Timmons has a knack of not playing the expected), which add to the song’s drama.
As if to prove that unexpected point, the rhythm and blues-based 'Say What You Want' features Corry Pertile on vocals.
It’s unusual for any Andy Timmons album to feature vocals, but this is a welcome, contrasting surprise.
'Grace' initially has Andy Timmons indulging in some Hendrix-esque chordal work (think 'Little Wing') but once the number gets going he delivers another beautiful melody and an unexpected (told you) but successful chord sequence.
Timmons then plays out by himself, aided and abetted by some effective stereo panning.
'Shuggie' is a typical, mid-paced AOR blues, except it isn’t – the number subtly shifts to a funkier, jazz-blues driven by a repeating guitar figure, followed by a half-tempo drum part that sets up a melodically emotive solo.
What started out as potential album filler turns out to be a near seven-minute album highlight.
'One Last Time' initially sounds like a downtempo Larry Carlton number, but the B Section has an underlying chord sequence that provides contrast.
Another key change gives Andy Timmons the chance to stretch out before returning to the downtempo feel of the intro, where he plays with a clean tone.
Closing number 'Take Me With You' sees the return of Corry Pertile on vocals.
The atmospheric, blues-hued number features a lovely vocal melody line and an Andy Timmons counter melody that the guitarist develops in his inimitable style.
As the song builds toward its up-tempo ‘rock’ ending, Timmons contributes a final bravura solo that references the counter melody but expanded with wailing and soaring notes, some lightning fast runs and an emotional heavy blues section.
Top class stuff from a top class player – and that’s the Electric Truth of the matter.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
But at his six-string heart beats an instrumental rock guitarist of the highest calibre (Andy Timmons has played alongside the likes of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert and Eric Johnson, to name but four).
Such a trait is heard to exceptionally fine effect on latest solo offering Electric Truth, which opens with the preposterously funky, Hammond-ised blues of 'E.W.F.' (Timmons’ intro to the solo alone demonstrates what a player he is, his mastery of tone and signature style).
The relatively short, melodic but ever-changing 'Apocryphal' is one of those anthemic numbers at which Andy Timmons excels; indeed it could easily sit amongst his work with Simon Phillips’ Protocol, with its inherent twists, turns and key changes.
'Johnnie T,' featuring guest guitarist Josh Smith, is a more straight ahead rocker.
The melody parts are of top quality while the extended trading of licks between Andy Timmons and Josh Smith (who has a less overdriven and more blues-based sound) in the fade out is a particular delight.
'When Words Fail,' which has taken on a new lease of emotive life as a donatory Benefit for Ukraine, is an example of Andy Timmons at his down-tempo, emotionally-wrought, tonal best.
The song’s structure is akin to a Roy Buchanan number from yesteryear, but the intensity of Timmons’ playing, note choice and sense of dynamics is off the scale.
The number also includes interesting key changes (Andy Timmons has a knack of not playing the expected), which add to the song’s drama.
As if to prove that unexpected point, the rhythm and blues-based 'Say What You Want' features Corry Pertile on vocals.
It’s unusual for any Andy Timmons album to feature vocals, but this is a welcome, contrasting surprise.
'Grace' initially has Andy Timmons indulging in some Hendrix-esque chordal work (think 'Little Wing') but once the number gets going he delivers another beautiful melody and an unexpected (told you) but successful chord sequence.
Timmons then plays out by himself, aided and abetted by some effective stereo panning.
'Shuggie' is a typical, mid-paced AOR blues, except it isn’t – the number subtly shifts to a funkier, jazz-blues driven by a repeating guitar figure, followed by a half-tempo drum part that sets up a melodically emotive solo.
What started out as potential album filler turns out to be a near seven-minute album highlight.
'One Last Time' initially sounds like a downtempo Larry Carlton number, but the B Section has an underlying chord sequence that provides contrast.
Another key change gives Andy Timmons the chance to stretch out before returning to the downtempo feel of the intro, where he plays with a clean tone.
Closing number 'Take Me With You' sees the return of Corry Pertile on vocals.
The atmospheric, blues-hued number features a lovely vocal melody line and an Andy Timmons counter melody that the guitarist develops in his inimitable style.
As the song builds toward its up-tempo ‘rock’ ending, Timmons contributes a final bravura solo that references the counter melody but expanded with wailing and soaring notes, some lightning fast runs and an emotional heavy blues section.
Top class stuff from a top class player – and that’s the Electric Truth of the matter.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Bernie Tormé – Final Fling
Posthumous releases, by their very nature, usually carry added musical or personal poignancy but Final Fling, a live room set by the late Bernie Tormé and his brothers in musical arms Mik Gaffney (drums) and Sy Morton (bass), provides both celebration and sadness, given how soon after this recording Bernie Tormé would pass away.
Final Fling, named after what was (and indeed sadly proved to be) Bernie Tormé’s final run across the UK, is a last, musical encore; one for the Bernie Tormé fans, those that saw him on that final tour and for lovers of live, wild 'n' raw rock music.
The album is primarily a past & present amalgam of Bernie Tormé’s highly individualistic, glam/ punk influenced solo career (and earlier Electric Gypsies period) with the added bonus of guaranteed-to-go-down-a-storm-live covers that link back to his successes as a highly stylised axe-man for Gillan and his relatively short but notable time touring with Ozzy Osbourne (after the tragic passing of Randy Rhoads).
All those Tormé traits are alive and kicking here, via a live room set that was conceived after the band deeply regretted not recording any of their outstanding, high-energy 2018 Final Fling tour dates, which included a Special Guest festival slot at WinterStorm in Troon, where at set’s end (and for minutes after), the entire crowd slow-chanted “Ber-nee! Ber-nee!” as he left the stage with a discernible tear in his eye.
From the ear-blasting 'Intro' (in effect a 24 second sound-check, featuring that famous Tormé guitar howl and squeal) and punky openers 'Wild West' (which always sounded like a distant, rawk orientated cousin to The Stranglers 'No More Heroes') and 'Come the Revolution' (from 2018/ final studio album Shadowland), through to a set-concluding quintet of covers ('Trouble' & 'New Orleans', based around the Gillan covers; Eddie Cochrane's 'Summertime Blues,' classic Ozzy brace 'Mr Crowley' & 'Crazy Train'), this is a 17 song, seventy-seven minute live room set success.
As the above suggests, the format was usually old and new Tormé tunes for the first two thirds of the set (although a slower sleaze-rock rendition of Gillan’s 'No Easy Way' also features early) before the covers/ more famous band stints come calling.
As regards the Bernie Tormé catalogue, highlights include an extended take of Electric Gypsies glam-punk nugget 'Turn Out The Lights' (although the "woah-oh-oh-oh-oh" section clearly carries more weight when in front of a participating audience), the proud-to-be-Irish Celtic-punk of 'Rocky Road' and the respective seven and nine-minute renditions of psychedelic blues numbers 'Flow' and 'Stoneship.'
On the latter brace Bernie Tormé wrings every conceivable note and sound out of his instrument of choice, while also showing delicacy and control on the bluesier passages, as is particularly evident on 'Stoneship.' (Hidden behind the trademark howls, squeals and shreds was a bluesy player).
Mixed and mastered by Bernie Tormé’s son Eric Tormey, Final Fling is a Fitting Finale.
"Ber-nee! Ber-nee!…"
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase the album/ merch bundles at:
https://bernietorme.bandcamp.com/merch/final-fling-limited-edition-pre-order-bundle
Final Fling, named after what was (and indeed sadly proved to be) Bernie Tormé’s final run across the UK, is a last, musical encore; one for the Bernie Tormé fans, those that saw him on that final tour and for lovers of live, wild 'n' raw rock music.
The album is primarily a past & present amalgam of Bernie Tormé’s highly individualistic, glam/ punk influenced solo career (and earlier Electric Gypsies period) with the added bonus of guaranteed-to-go-down-a-storm-live covers that link back to his successes as a highly stylised axe-man for Gillan and his relatively short but notable time touring with Ozzy Osbourne (after the tragic passing of Randy Rhoads).
All those Tormé traits are alive and kicking here, via a live room set that was conceived after the band deeply regretted not recording any of their outstanding, high-energy 2018 Final Fling tour dates, which included a Special Guest festival slot at WinterStorm in Troon, where at set’s end (and for minutes after), the entire crowd slow-chanted “Ber-nee! Ber-nee!” as he left the stage with a discernible tear in his eye.
From the ear-blasting 'Intro' (in effect a 24 second sound-check, featuring that famous Tormé guitar howl and squeal) and punky openers 'Wild West' (which always sounded like a distant, rawk orientated cousin to The Stranglers 'No More Heroes') and 'Come the Revolution' (from 2018/ final studio album Shadowland), through to a set-concluding quintet of covers ('Trouble' & 'New Orleans', based around the Gillan covers; Eddie Cochrane's 'Summertime Blues,' classic Ozzy brace 'Mr Crowley' & 'Crazy Train'), this is a 17 song, seventy-seven minute live room set success.
As the above suggests, the format was usually old and new Tormé tunes for the first two thirds of the set (although a slower sleaze-rock rendition of Gillan’s 'No Easy Way' also features early) before the covers/ more famous band stints come calling.
As regards the Bernie Tormé catalogue, highlights include an extended take of Electric Gypsies glam-punk nugget 'Turn Out The Lights' (although the "woah-oh-oh-oh-oh" section clearly carries more weight when in front of a participating audience), the proud-to-be-Irish Celtic-punk of 'Rocky Road' and the respective seven and nine-minute renditions of psychedelic blues numbers 'Flow' and 'Stoneship.'
On the latter brace Bernie Tormé wrings every conceivable note and sound out of his instrument of choice, while also showing delicacy and control on the bluesier passages, as is particularly evident on 'Stoneship.' (Hidden behind the trademark howls, squeals and shreds was a bluesy player).
Mixed and mastered by Bernie Tormé’s son Eric Tormey, Final Fling is a Fitting Finale.
"Ber-nee! Ber-nee!…"
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase the album/ merch bundles at:
https://bernietorme.bandcamp.com/merch/final-fling-limited-edition-pre-order-bundle
Pat Travers – The Art of Time Travel
Given what’s been going on in the world these last few years, and currently, it’s a pity we’ve never mastered the art of time travel – but the reality is we need to make the most out of what we have in the here & now and not worry about a past we can’t return to or a future we can’t predict.
And that’s exactly what’s at the heart of the musical matter on opening number, and title track, of the new studio album from Pat Travers.
Snappy, snarly and with that thick PT guitar sound, 'The Art of Time Travel' informs us that "you’ve gotta live just for today, right here and right now is all that matters – time’s illusion, anyway" while previous PT Band drummer Tommy Craig (current beat-meister Alex Petrosky appears on all other tracks) and the brilliant David Pastorius (a chip off his late and legendary Uncle Jaco’s bass block) lock down the rhythm.
But there is, also, an element of time travel at play here – much of the album, musically and stylistically, nods to PT’s original power-trio format of the mid to late 70s when he was catching the ear of British rock fans and critics by Makin’ Magic on the shores of old Blighty and various European markets, including Germany (the album cover artwork turns back the time clock to the debut album days of 1976 and the televised Rockpalast performance that helped put PT on the map).
The muscular, 70s styled rock continues with the gritty swagger (both musically and vocally) of 'Ronnie' (a tribute to late & great guitarist Ronnie Montrose), bolstered by a 'Rock Candy' styled intro and some tasty lead guitar work toward song’s end.
Following number, the bluesy 'No Worries at All,' carries the musical vibe of PT of the 90s and beyond, but with a darker, on-point lyric citing division, gas lighting and an uncertain future.
Similarly on topic is 'Breaking Up in Lockdown,' a down-tempo southern/ country affected number with a lyrical twist on the more usual isolation blues ("breaking up in lockdown, is the hardest thing to do").
Another from the guitar-led, balladeering template is the AOR-blues styled 'Over and Over,' featuring (as do all the vocal numbers), PT’s wife Monica and daughter Amanda on highly effective backing & harmony vocals (The Traverettes, by any other name).
The girls’ come in to their vocal own on the sassy, horns swinging 'Push Yourself,' an upbeat and optimistic cry to dust yourself down and chase that dream (nod here to the bubbly bass lines from David Pastorius).
Elsewhere there’s the darker-edged 'Move On' (a seven-and-a-half minute blues about shaking off the road rage of life with an instrumental section that allows Messrs Travers, Petrosky & Pastorius to flex a little) and the choppy guitar, funk vibe and percussive rhythm of 'I’ll Feel Good.'
And it wouldn’t be a PT album without an instrumental or two.
On instrumental offer here are the soloing horns and guitar of 'Full Spectrum' (the slower-tempo grandson of 'Off Beat Ride') and album closer, 'Natalie.'
The latter, written by David Pastorius for his wife, features PT and Pastorius dovetailing beautifully; the pair flit between atmospheric support and tasteful lead lines while Alex Petrosky supplies the (heart)beat.
Who needs the art of time travel? The present-day Pat Travers is still delivering the goods.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
And that’s exactly what’s at the heart of the musical matter on opening number, and title track, of the new studio album from Pat Travers.
Snappy, snarly and with that thick PT guitar sound, 'The Art of Time Travel' informs us that "you’ve gotta live just for today, right here and right now is all that matters – time’s illusion, anyway" while previous PT Band drummer Tommy Craig (current beat-meister Alex Petrosky appears on all other tracks) and the brilliant David Pastorius (a chip off his late and legendary Uncle Jaco’s bass block) lock down the rhythm.
But there is, also, an element of time travel at play here – much of the album, musically and stylistically, nods to PT’s original power-trio format of the mid to late 70s when he was catching the ear of British rock fans and critics by Makin’ Magic on the shores of old Blighty and various European markets, including Germany (the album cover artwork turns back the time clock to the debut album days of 1976 and the televised Rockpalast performance that helped put PT on the map).
The muscular, 70s styled rock continues with the gritty swagger (both musically and vocally) of 'Ronnie' (a tribute to late & great guitarist Ronnie Montrose), bolstered by a 'Rock Candy' styled intro and some tasty lead guitar work toward song’s end.
Following number, the bluesy 'No Worries at All,' carries the musical vibe of PT of the 90s and beyond, but with a darker, on-point lyric citing division, gas lighting and an uncertain future.
Similarly on topic is 'Breaking Up in Lockdown,' a down-tempo southern/ country affected number with a lyrical twist on the more usual isolation blues ("breaking up in lockdown, is the hardest thing to do").
Another from the guitar-led, balladeering template is the AOR-blues styled 'Over and Over,' featuring (as do all the vocal numbers), PT’s wife Monica and daughter Amanda on highly effective backing & harmony vocals (The Traverettes, by any other name).
The girls’ come in to their vocal own on the sassy, horns swinging 'Push Yourself,' an upbeat and optimistic cry to dust yourself down and chase that dream (nod here to the bubbly bass lines from David Pastorius).
Elsewhere there’s the darker-edged 'Move On' (a seven-and-a-half minute blues about shaking off the road rage of life with an instrumental section that allows Messrs Travers, Petrosky & Pastorius to flex a little) and the choppy guitar, funk vibe and percussive rhythm of 'I’ll Feel Good.'
And it wouldn’t be a PT album without an instrumental or two.
On instrumental offer here are the soloing horns and guitar of 'Full Spectrum' (the slower-tempo grandson of 'Off Beat Ride') and album closer, 'Natalie.'
The latter, written by David Pastorius for his wife, features PT and Pastorius dovetailing beautifully; the pair flit between atmospheric support and tasteful lead lines while Alex Petrosky supplies the (heart)beat.
Who needs the art of time travel? The present-day Pat Travers is still delivering the goods.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Various Artists – Miles Out To Sea : The Roots Of British Power Pop 1969-1975 (3CD set)
In the UK, the end of the 60s through to the to mid-70s produced quite the creative melting pot of rock music, from psychedelic and blues-rock (themselves born in the latter half of the 60s) through to hard rock and glam rock, heavy metal and progressive.
But post Beatles, a diverse array of creative and commercial pop was doing all right for itself thank you very much, including many a more rock orientated band trying their hand at more catchy melodies, earworm choruses and radio friendly airwave appeal.
That 1969-1975 pop period became, as the sub-title of the 3CD Miles Out To Sea set so accurately states, The Roots Of British Power Pop.
Many on this anthology need no introduction and straddled rock and pop perfectly – that Slade lead off this 74 track collection with the piano-backed, bright guitars of the sing-along number that gives this anthology its title, is of no surprise.
Nor are the inclusions on CD1 of the likes of Pilot ('Just a Smile'), Dave Edmunds ('When Will I Be Loved') the Tremeloes ('Try Me') Marmalade ('She Wrote Me a Letter') Gerry Rafferty ('Where I Belong'), Brinsley Schwarz ('What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace Love And Understanding') and the Sweet, here nodding to their bubblegum pop period with their cover of Joey Dee and The Starlighters 'Peppermint Twist.'
But as is always the case with such anthologies it’s the hidden gems that shine.
You'll find bands that came and went in the blink of a three-minute single (the Hollies-ish 'Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long' by Rotten to the Core), achieved cult status (Rockin’ Horse and the "sha-lal-la" harmony pop of 'Biggest Gossip in Town') or were a classic pop case of right place wrong time, or vice versa (Octopus and the yearning 'Rainchild' was a year or two too late; 'Going Down' by Starry Eyed And Laughing had a jangle-pop/ Byrds vibe that would have fared better in the US).
CD2 is kicked off by a successful pop pair, Badfinger ('Know One Knows') and The Move ('Chinatown'); the perfectly named Liverpool Echo then offer 60s Merseyside pop in an early 70s setting with 'Girl On the Train.'
Other second disc gems, hits and cult misses include Stealers Wheel (the Stonesy pop of 'Go as You Please'), Keith Riley (the country-meets-Byrds styling of 'Second Time Around'), the New York Dolls influenced Hollywood Brats with 'Zurich 17 (Be My Baby)' and the greatest British rock band of the 70s to never make it big, Stray (The Who-esque 'Alright Ma!').
The Who themselves also appear (offering up the punchy verses and pop-chorus of 'In a Hand or a Face') before Budgie close out the second disc with 'Rolling Home Again,' a short, acoustic-folk reminder that the Welsh power-riff trio had a softer, albeit seldom heard, side.
CD3 follows the lead of the preceding two discs by opening with a well-known name (The Kinks and 'This Man Weeps Tonight') before again mixing the more well-known alongside those that were under the pop-radar, but no less impressive in song-craft.
Third disc highlights, hits and curios include The First Class and their monster hit (and California-pop/ Beach Boys homage) 'Beach Baby,' Liverpool Express and their straight from the John Miles pop-songbook 'Smile (a Smiler’s Smile),' 'Baby (I Gotta Go)' by teenage popster Simon Turner and, closing out the anthology, Rupert Holmes and his lyrical-parody ballad 'I Don’t Want to Hold Your Hand.'
There are also a handful of worthy rarities including the bluesy, pub-rock of 'Brighton Rock' from Rusty’s 1972 demo only album, and a number of unreleased-at-the-time tracks, including pacey psychedelic-pop number 'Hole in the Sky' by pre-Rusty act Sheephouse.
Add an illustrated and detailed track by track 48 page booklet and a smart clamshell box, and you have yourself an entertaining, fascinating and eclectic collection, pop-pickers.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
But post Beatles, a diverse array of creative and commercial pop was doing all right for itself thank you very much, including many a more rock orientated band trying their hand at more catchy melodies, earworm choruses and radio friendly airwave appeal.
That 1969-1975 pop period became, as the sub-title of the 3CD Miles Out To Sea set so accurately states, The Roots Of British Power Pop.
Many on this anthology need no introduction and straddled rock and pop perfectly – that Slade lead off this 74 track collection with the piano-backed, bright guitars of the sing-along number that gives this anthology its title, is of no surprise.
Nor are the inclusions on CD1 of the likes of Pilot ('Just a Smile'), Dave Edmunds ('When Will I Be Loved') the Tremeloes ('Try Me') Marmalade ('She Wrote Me a Letter') Gerry Rafferty ('Where I Belong'), Brinsley Schwarz ('What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace Love And Understanding') and the Sweet, here nodding to their bubblegum pop period with their cover of Joey Dee and The Starlighters 'Peppermint Twist.'
But as is always the case with such anthologies it’s the hidden gems that shine.
You'll find bands that came and went in the blink of a three-minute single (the Hollies-ish 'Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long' by Rotten to the Core), achieved cult status (Rockin’ Horse and the "sha-lal-la" harmony pop of 'Biggest Gossip in Town') or were a classic pop case of right place wrong time, or vice versa (Octopus and the yearning 'Rainchild' was a year or two too late; 'Going Down' by Starry Eyed And Laughing had a jangle-pop/ Byrds vibe that would have fared better in the US).
CD2 is kicked off by a successful pop pair, Badfinger ('Know One Knows') and The Move ('Chinatown'); the perfectly named Liverpool Echo then offer 60s Merseyside pop in an early 70s setting with 'Girl On the Train.'
Other second disc gems, hits and cult misses include Stealers Wheel (the Stonesy pop of 'Go as You Please'), Keith Riley (the country-meets-Byrds styling of 'Second Time Around'), the New York Dolls influenced Hollywood Brats with 'Zurich 17 (Be My Baby)' and the greatest British rock band of the 70s to never make it big, Stray (The Who-esque 'Alright Ma!').
The Who themselves also appear (offering up the punchy verses and pop-chorus of 'In a Hand or a Face') before Budgie close out the second disc with 'Rolling Home Again,' a short, acoustic-folk reminder that the Welsh power-riff trio had a softer, albeit seldom heard, side.
CD3 follows the lead of the preceding two discs by opening with a well-known name (The Kinks and 'This Man Weeps Tonight') before again mixing the more well-known alongside those that were under the pop-radar, but no less impressive in song-craft.
Third disc highlights, hits and curios include The First Class and their monster hit (and California-pop/ Beach Boys homage) 'Beach Baby,' Liverpool Express and their straight from the John Miles pop-songbook 'Smile (a Smiler’s Smile),' 'Baby (I Gotta Go)' by teenage popster Simon Turner and, closing out the anthology, Rupert Holmes and his lyrical-parody ballad 'I Don’t Want to Hold Your Hand.'
There are also a handful of worthy rarities including the bluesy, pub-rock of 'Brighton Rock' from Rusty’s 1972 demo only album, and a number of unreleased-at-the-time tracks, including pacey psychedelic-pop number 'Hole in the Sky' by pre-Rusty act Sheephouse.
Add an illustrated and detailed track by track 48 page booklet and a smart clamshell box, and you have yourself an entertaining, fascinating and eclectic collection, pop-pickers.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Kalle Wallner – Voices
Bavarian guitarist Kalle Wallner, of German prog band RPWL and his own Blind Ego project, has now released his first album under his own name.
And a rather excellent one at that.
Primarily instrumental (but one that’s as much about atmosphere and texture as it is Kalle Wallner’s impressive guitar skills), Voices also features singer Arno Menses (Subsignal) on the one lyric track, the peerless Marco Minneman on drums and Wallner’s RPWL bandmate Yogi Lang on keys & programming.
(Lang also provided the excellent mix, which complements Wallner’s high-quality production).
Opening number ‘One’ (a numerical titular theme develops) is a juxtaposition of sequenced keyboard parts (including some that sound like video games) and guitar-led quotations from the melody line of ‘And I Love her’ originally written and performed by some Liverpudlian band or other (you may have heard of them – did alright for themselves, apparently).
On the opener Kalle Wallner slowly introduces his undoubted dexterity on guitar without overdoing it or being flash for the sake of it. There are also some similarities here to Joe Satriani’s mid-period albums (e.g. Engines of Creation) where he skirted with electronica and sequencers.
The near eight-minute 'Two' is a more straight-ahead rocker with a repeating figure until mid-way through when the intensity is dropped, building to an impressive and tasteful series of solos by Wallner, including legato sections reminiscent of Satriani at his melodic best.
'Three,' the album's lead-off single and the one lyric/ vocal number on offer, is a true highlight of the album.
Very much in the ball-park of Trevor Rabin-era Yes and Frost*, 'Three,' featuring Arno Mensesis, is both an outstanding piece of music and appealing slice of prog-rock, with traces of Tears for Fears.
The riff-driven 'Four' carries an odd time signature before it settles into a 4/4 rocker complete with soaring, Rabin-esque guitar parts. There are some clever production ideas here and a sense of dynamics (including the use of an acoustic guitar in the breakdown section), which enhance both the mood and the music.
'Five' is an intense, anthemic number from the territory of Muse and latter-day Rush; it may be the shortest song on the album at just under four minutes but it’s highly cinematic in flavour.
The far lengthier 'Six' reduces the tempo and volume by starting with a repeating, lightly picked guitar part and accompanying keys. When the lead guitar part joins we are again in Satch territory and, when the drums kick in, a reference point to the under-rated six-string skills of Marc Bonilla.
'Six' also includes some lovely vocal parts from singer Carmen Tannich (a.k.a. Tanyc) and a run-out that seems to be a deliberate homage to David Gilmour, before returning to the theme.
Another album highlight.
The eleven plus minutes of closing number 'Seven. Out' is distinctly Floydian in approach with lots of keys pads, a mid-tempo rhythm part and tasteful guitar solos over the top without ever being "over the top."
(Kalle Wallner has cleverly and expertly taken an approach that is musical rather than bludgeoning the listener with technique).
An impressive yet understated number, 'Seven. Out' brings to conclusion an excellent album that should appeal to both fans of creative/ progressive rock guitar and aficionados of Satriani et al.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
And a rather excellent one at that.
Primarily instrumental (but one that’s as much about atmosphere and texture as it is Kalle Wallner’s impressive guitar skills), Voices also features singer Arno Menses (Subsignal) on the one lyric track, the peerless Marco Minneman on drums and Wallner’s RPWL bandmate Yogi Lang on keys & programming.
(Lang also provided the excellent mix, which complements Wallner’s high-quality production).
Opening number ‘One’ (a numerical titular theme develops) is a juxtaposition of sequenced keyboard parts (including some that sound like video games) and guitar-led quotations from the melody line of ‘And I Love her’ originally written and performed by some Liverpudlian band or other (you may have heard of them – did alright for themselves, apparently).
On the opener Kalle Wallner slowly introduces his undoubted dexterity on guitar without overdoing it or being flash for the sake of it. There are also some similarities here to Joe Satriani’s mid-period albums (e.g. Engines of Creation) where he skirted with electronica and sequencers.
The near eight-minute 'Two' is a more straight-ahead rocker with a repeating figure until mid-way through when the intensity is dropped, building to an impressive and tasteful series of solos by Wallner, including legato sections reminiscent of Satriani at his melodic best.
'Three,' the album's lead-off single and the one lyric/ vocal number on offer, is a true highlight of the album.
Very much in the ball-park of Trevor Rabin-era Yes and Frost*, 'Three,' featuring Arno Mensesis, is both an outstanding piece of music and appealing slice of prog-rock, with traces of Tears for Fears.
The riff-driven 'Four' carries an odd time signature before it settles into a 4/4 rocker complete with soaring, Rabin-esque guitar parts. There are some clever production ideas here and a sense of dynamics (including the use of an acoustic guitar in the breakdown section), which enhance both the mood and the music.
'Five' is an intense, anthemic number from the territory of Muse and latter-day Rush; it may be the shortest song on the album at just under four minutes but it’s highly cinematic in flavour.
The far lengthier 'Six' reduces the tempo and volume by starting with a repeating, lightly picked guitar part and accompanying keys. When the lead guitar part joins we are again in Satch territory and, when the drums kick in, a reference point to the under-rated six-string skills of Marc Bonilla.
'Six' also includes some lovely vocal parts from singer Carmen Tannich (a.k.a. Tanyc) and a run-out that seems to be a deliberate homage to David Gilmour, before returning to the theme.
Another album highlight.
The eleven plus minutes of closing number 'Seven. Out' is distinctly Floydian in approach with lots of keys pads, a mid-tempo rhythm part and tasteful guitar solos over the top without ever being "over the top."
(Kalle Wallner has cleverly and expertly taken an approach that is musical rather than bludgeoning the listener with technique).
An impressive yet understated number, 'Seven. Out' brings to conclusion an excellent album that should appeal to both fans of creative/ progressive rock guitar and aficionados of Satriani et al.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
Kyle Warren – Relentless
Ten years on from his debut solo album Wanted, award winning and four time world champion piper Kyle Warren (who many jig-rocking music lovers will know aa a member of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers) offers up Relentless.
A pipe-led celebration of the traditional and the contemporary, Relentless nods to, naturally, the aforementioned Chilli Pipers, the Peatbog Faeries and Wolfstone at their pipe-driven best, and a bag(pipe) full of wide ranging, broader canvas tunes from Kyle Warren and friends.
(That broader musical canvas is partly due to the fact Warren has not long returned 'hame' after five years in Australia, a country that is no stranger to the pipes and Oz-blended music of the Auld Country).
Nor does it hurt that the aforementioned friends include half a dozen excellent guest players and "The Relentless Band," featuring some of the best trad talent around: Kyle Warren (bagpipes); Stevie Lawrence
(bouzouki, electric & acoustic guitar); Craig Muirhead (piano & keys); James Lindsay (bass & Moog bass);
Scott MacKay (drums & percussion); RURA band members Adam Brown (acoustic guitar, bodhran) and Jack Smedley (fiddle & strings).
The short and eerie (not so much fire breathing as bag breathing) 'Press Play' makes for an interesting and unexpected opening, before being followed by the more trad based 'EAT SLEEP PIPE REPEAT' (the title of Kyle Warren’s recent bagpipe tunebook).
The latter is a jaunty reel that unexpectedly (but delightfully) switches to something more contemporary (including horns) in the second half before returning to a quick burst of the main refrain.
The spirited and quicker paced title track is another Celtic folk and roll winner (and, again, with a nice little twist) before the pipe and acoustic guitar backed strains of Martyn Bennett’s 'Ud the Doudouk' provides more calming contrast.
'Rjukan,' the longest piece on the album at five-and-a-half minutes, is an album highlight.
A gorgeous, reflective air backed by Craig Muirhead on piano, 'Rjukan' slowly builds to a short, full band crescendo as its finale.
Equally plaintive (the mood having been set by the preceding and somewhat haunting acoustic short 'A Leap in the Dark,' featuring Stevie Lawrence) is 'Solitaire,' by Stuart Irvine.
Opening with only acoustic guitar and the soft jazz saxophone of Leon Thorne, 'Solitaire' builds to a drifting, lazy melody featuring pipes and saxophone before outro-ing on a lone piper lament.
Providing even more contrast (see "broader canvas" above) is short poem piece 'The Pipers in the Stand' (featuring Allan Tall), while tracks such as 'Trending' and 'StuKen' nod to the respective Celtic reelin’, and folk-rockin’, skills of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.
Closing number 'Sampled' is, initially, a fine example of Kyle Warren’s quick-fingered and steady breath skills.
A more plaintive refrain then comes calling before the pace is again picked up and the full Relentless Band step in to bring the tune home.
Folk 'n' roll lads and Celtic lasses, I give you Kyle Warren, a world-class piper in Relentless pursuit of marrying the best of the traditional with the contemporary. And succeeding.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Website: www.kylewarrenbagpipes.com
A pipe-led celebration of the traditional and the contemporary, Relentless nods to, naturally, the aforementioned Chilli Pipers, the Peatbog Faeries and Wolfstone at their pipe-driven best, and a bag(pipe) full of wide ranging, broader canvas tunes from Kyle Warren and friends.
(That broader musical canvas is partly due to the fact Warren has not long returned 'hame' after five years in Australia, a country that is no stranger to the pipes and Oz-blended music of the Auld Country).
Nor does it hurt that the aforementioned friends include half a dozen excellent guest players and "The Relentless Band," featuring some of the best trad talent around: Kyle Warren (bagpipes); Stevie Lawrence
(bouzouki, electric & acoustic guitar); Craig Muirhead (piano & keys); James Lindsay (bass & Moog bass);
Scott MacKay (drums & percussion); RURA band members Adam Brown (acoustic guitar, bodhran) and Jack Smedley (fiddle & strings).
The short and eerie (not so much fire breathing as bag breathing) 'Press Play' makes for an interesting and unexpected opening, before being followed by the more trad based 'EAT SLEEP PIPE REPEAT' (the title of Kyle Warren’s recent bagpipe tunebook).
The latter is a jaunty reel that unexpectedly (but delightfully) switches to something more contemporary (including horns) in the second half before returning to a quick burst of the main refrain.
The spirited and quicker paced title track is another Celtic folk and roll winner (and, again, with a nice little twist) before the pipe and acoustic guitar backed strains of Martyn Bennett’s 'Ud the Doudouk' provides more calming contrast.
'Rjukan,' the longest piece on the album at five-and-a-half minutes, is an album highlight.
A gorgeous, reflective air backed by Craig Muirhead on piano, 'Rjukan' slowly builds to a short, full band crescendo as its finale.
Equally plaintive (the mood having been set by the preceding and somewhat haunting acoustic short 'A Leap in the Dark,' featuring Stevie Lawrence) is 'Solitaire,' by Stuart Irvine.
Opening with only acoustic guitar and the soft jazz saxophone of Leon Thorne, 'Solitaire' builds to a drifting, lazy melody featuring pipes and saxophone before outro-ing on a lone piper lament.
Providing even more contrast (see "broader canvas" above) is short poem piece 'The Pipers in the Stand' (featuring Allan Tall), while tracks such as 'Trending' and 'StuKen' nod to the respective Celtic reelin’, and folk-rockin’, skills of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.
Closing number 'Sampled' is, initially, a fine example of Kyle Warren’s quick-fingered and steady breath skills.
A more plaintive refrain then comes calling before the pace is again picked up and the full Relentless Band step in to bring the tune home.
Folk 'n' roll lads and Celtic lasses, I give you Kyle Warren, a world-class piper in Relentless pursuit of marrying the best of the traditional with the contemporary. And succeeding.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Website: www.kylewarrenbagpipes.com
Wayward Sons – Score Settled EP
Wayward Sons, fronted by Toby Jepson and featuring the talents of Sam Wood (guitars), Nic Wastell (bass) and Philip Martini (drums), have accompanied, in a sense, their excellent third album Even Up The Score with an extended EP of seven songs entitled Score Settled.
The follow-on nature of the EP is due to the fact it features three new, previously unreleased songs (which lead off proceedings) recorded during the Even Up The Score sessions.
The other four tracks all have a rarity value – two only previously appeared on 12” picture disc vinyl while another featured on 7" flexi-disc; the final track to feature is a live in the studio version of a Japan Bonus Track for the band’s debut album Ghosts Of Yet To Come.
'Beaten to the Punch' kicks off with Toby Jepson’s trademark whip-smart lyrics with a social message.
A mid-tempo riff-rocker with cute middle eight, the outro contains tailor-made "woah-oh-ohs" for audience participation (as is the case with a most Wayward Sons numbers, you can imagine this translating well to a live gig).
'Can’t Take it Anymore' is an up-tempo rocker that’s an unlikely (but successful) musical marriage of Status Quo and Squeeze. Toby Jepson’s lyrics again avoid the usual clichés and the key changes towards the guitar solo and the lead-out are inspired.
The fast and hooky 'Real Go-getta' lyrically deals with material greed whilst musically providing the Wayward Sons variation that elevates them above the norm (whilst they are clearly rooted in rock they are not averse to dipping into other genres including glam, pop-punk and power-pop).
'Standby Heart' sits at the rockier end of the Wayward Sons spectrum but still finds room for a hooky chorus and another winner of a middle eight (something the band excel at).
The short, snappy and sneering 'Radio Denial' will remind those of a certain vintage of the proto-punk era; it also illustrates that Wayward Sons can rock it out with the best of them.
(A word of praise here for Nic Wastell who contributes a bravura aggressive walking bass part).
'Totally Screwed' is both a retro sounding paean to how much easier it was when you are younger, and an anti-establishment protest song. There are also echoes of (a punkier) Mott The Hoople here, emphasised by the occasional inclusion of keys and piano part.
The pseudo-punky 'Backslide,' recorded live in the studio (showcasing how good a live band the Wayward Sons are), closes out the EP and maintains the high standard.
Score Settled is an excellent holding position EP that reminds of what Wayward Sons are all about – a band who musically embrace rock, pop and glam-metal in equal measure, while lyrically avoiding all the usual tired subject matter (who mentioned Whitesnake?) as they continue their upward trajectory.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
The follow-on nature of the EP is due to the fact it features three new, previously unreleased songs (which lead off proceedings) recorded during the Even Up The Score sessions.
The other four tracks all have a rarity value – two only previously appeared on 12” picture disc vinyl while another featured on 7" flexi-disc; the final track to feature is a live in the studio version of a Japan Bonus Track for the band’s debut album Ghosts Of Yet To Come.
'Beaten to the Punch' kicks off with Toby Jepson’s trademark whip-smart lyrics with a social message.
A mid-tempo riff-rocker with cute middle eight, the outro contains tailor-made "woah-oh-ohs" for audience participation (as is the case with a most Wayward Sons numbers, you can imagine this translating well to a live gig).
'Can’t Take it Anymore' is an up-tempo rocker that’s an unlikely (but successful) musical marriage of Status Quo and Squeeze. Toby Jepson’s lyrics again avoid the usual clichés and the key changes towards the guitar solo and the lead-out are inspired.
The fast and hooky 'Real Go-getta' lyrically deals with material greed whilst musically providing the Wayward Sons variation that elevates them above the norm (whilst they are clearly rooted in rock they are not averse to dipping into other genres including glam, pop-punk and power-pop).
'Standby Heart' sits at the rockier end of the Wayward Sons spectrum but still finds room for a hooky chorus and another winner of a middle eight (something the band excel at).
The short, snappy and sneering 'Radio Denial' will remind those of a certain vintage of the proto-punk era; it also illustrates that Wayward Sons can rock it out with the best of them.
(A word of praise here for Nic Wastell who contributes a bravura aggressive walking bass part).
'Totally Screwed' is both a retro sounding paean to how much easier it was when you are younger, and an anti-establishment protest song. There are also echoes of (a punkier) Mott The Hoople here, emphasised by the occasional inclusion of keys and piano part.
The pseudo-punky 'Backslide,' recorded live in the studio (showcasing how good a live band the Wayward Sons are), closes out the EP and maintains the high standard.
Score Settled is an excellent holding position EP that reminds of what Wayward Sons are all about – a band who musically embrace rock, pop and glam-metal in equal measure, while lyrically avoiding all the usual tired subject matter (who mentioned Whitesnake?) as they continue their upward trajectory.
Nelson McFarlane
FabricationsHQ
The Wilson Brothers – Live 2021
The Wilson Brothers Live 2021 is a welcome, if initially unexpected, two-for-one.
At its live performance core the album is an introduction to The Wilson Brothers trio, formed around brothers Ash (guitars, lead vocals) and Phil Wilson (drums) and their 'other brother' from the UK blues scene, the incomparable and much sought-after six-string bassist Roger Wilson Innis.
This particular live performance however also acts as very welcome re-introduction to Ash Wilson’s critically acclaimed but sadly under-achieving solo album Broken Machine (all seven of the tracks performed are from that album) – but then said album, which also featured Phil Wilson and Roger Innis, was initially intended to be the debut album by The Wilson Brothers.
Finding they had time during lockdown to play together again, the trio soon found themselves not just revisiting Broken Machine songs but writing and recording together; that bodes well for a rebooted start for The Wilson Brothers and future, all-new material from the band, prequelled by this live taster.
Opener 'Peace and Love' is a mid-tempo, groove-driven shuffle that extends itself live with a longer and more spacious arrangement, allowing Ash Wilson to flex his sharp and sassy six-string licks (as heard to very fine effect with the Sari Schorr band); Phil Wilson and Roger Innis, for their part, have that knack of being able to let a song breathe while keeping it rhythmically tight.
The grittier and brooding contemporary blues of 'Hold On Now' also works well in its longer form (just about every song features an extended instrumental section), as does the brash funk-blues meets the Stones of 'World’s Gone Crazy' (never was the title more apt).
Live and extended, the song works even better than its original short ‘n’ sharp, two-minute studio version.
The rhythm and soul-funk sprinkled blues of 'Out Of Time' holds its interest across its near eight minutes as the band jam-out mid-song, clearly enjoying the space to play in.
'Holding Hands' then offers up the one downtempo, blues ballad moment of the set, Ash Wilson’s delicate guitar phrasing in sympathy to his equally delicate and exposed/ vulnerable vocal.
The contemporary blues-rock sheen of 'Broken Machine' is the one song that stays faithful to the original four-minute studio version, which is in high contrast to closing number 'Show Me How To Love You.'
The latter, extended live to a jam-like ten minutes and sitting dead centre of the three overlapping musical rings of Hendrix, Trower and Psychedelic blues, makes for a seriously impressive closing statement.
Blues rock ladies and gentlemen, The Wilson Brothers.
After a near five year delay, now well on their way to repairing the Broken Machine.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
At its live performance core the album is an introduction to The Wilson Brothers trio, formed around brothers Ash (guitars, lead vocals) and Phil Wilson (drums) and their 'other brother' from the UK blues scene, the incomparable and much sought-after six-string bassist Roger Wilson Innis.
This particular live performance however also acts as very welcome re-introduction to Ash Wilson’s critically acclaimed but sadly under-achieving solo album Broken Machine (all seven of the tracks performed are from that album) – but then said album, which also featured Phil Wilson and Roger Innis, was initially intended to be the debut album by The Wilson Brothers.
Finding they had time during lockdown to play together again, the trio soon found themselves not just revisiting Broken Machine songs but writing and recording together; that bodes well for a rebooted start for The Wilson Brothers and future, all-new material from the band, prequelled by this live taster.
Opener 'Peace and Love' is a mid-tempo, groove-driven shuffle that extends itself live with a longer and more spacious arrangement, allowing Ash Wilson to flex his sharp and sassy six-string licks (as heard to very fine effect with the Sari Schorr band); Phil Wilson and Roger Innis, for their part, have that knack of being able to let a song breathe while keeping it rhythmically tight.
The grittier and brooding contemporary blues of 'Hold On Now' also works well in its longer form (just about every song features an extended instrumental section), as does the brash funk-blues meets the Stones of 'World’s Gone Crazy' (never was the title more apt).
Live and extended, the song works even better than its original short ‘n’ sharp, two-minute studio version.
The rhythm and soul-funk sprinkled blues of 'Out Of Time' holds its interest across its near eight minutes as the band jam-out mid-song, clearly enjoying the space to play in.
'Holding Hands' then offers up the one downtempo, blues ballad moment of the set, Ash Wilson’s delicate guitar phrasing in sympathy to his equally delicate and exposed/ vulnerable vocal.
The contemporary blues-rock sheen of 'Broken Machine' is the one song that stays faithful to the original four-minute studio version, which is in high contrast to closing number 'Show Me How To Love You.'
The latter, extended live to a jam-like ten minutes and sitting dead centre of the three overlapping musical rings of Hendrix, Trower and Psychedelic blues, makes for a seriously impressive closing statement.
Blues rock ladies and gentlemen, The Wilson Brothers.
After a near five year delay, now well on their way to repairing the Broken Machine.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ