Hollow Souls – Hollow Souls EP
Originally promoted as Kris Barras’ Hollow Souls (which made perfect sense given the musical muscle and stature of the noted British hard rocker), the new musical collective from Barras, his Kris Barras Band bandmate, producer & multi-instrumentalist Josiah J. Manning, and ex KBB singer Phoebe Jane, deserve to be heard as a band in their own right.
Indeed, debut EP Hollow Souls is much more than the sum of those individual parts, bolstered by a rock solid studio rhythm section of drummer Joe Harris (Toby Lee, Lack of Afro), bassist Leighton Allen (Callum Scott, The Hoosiers) and a quartet of significant guest contributors.
The six track offering opens with 'Borderline,' a swampy-stomp handclap blues that hearkens back to the Kris Barras Band’s earliest albums, where contemporary meets the rugged and rootsy.
Led by a chant chorus vocal and blues-sassy verses from Phoebe Jane, 'Borderline' sports a nifty, incessant riff and some tasty six-string licks (and an unfettered solo) from guest guitarist Jared James Nichols.
'Bad Things,' with its subtle southern rock-blues touch, carries a little Hendrix in its opening guitar remark (think slightly slower moving 'Crosstown Traffic') before guest singer Chris Tapp of The Cold Stares steps up to the mic for the verses.
Tapp’s husky-voiced deliveries are counterpointed by a melodic switch-up on the Phoebe Jane sung choruses; a short but wicked solo from Kris Barras adds a little spice.
'I Need The Fire,' featuring an impacting (and at times self-harmonised) vocal from Phoebe Jane and a feisty little guitar solo, brings big-beat pound and thick-riffed drive to proceedings.
Providing vocal contrast, but making no less impact, is the rock-blues raunch and roll of 'Burn It To The Ground, featuring the unmistakable husky tones of Elles Bailey, who brings defiance to her sass fuelled delivery ("I’m fighting dirty, deep in my soul; go ahead and try me, you’ll pay the toll").
Third guest vocalist, Jon "Marv" Harvey of Monster Truck, is up front and centre on 'Shotgun,' a mid-tempo, metal-edged rock-blues bruiser that suits Harvey’s earthy delivery, and the song’s no nonsense lyric, perfectly ("You don’t want any more of this, If you keep it up I’ll put down my cup, and you’ll get a good taste of my fist!").
Adding balladeering light to the heavyweight shade of the preceding quintet of songs is 'Chasing Ghosts,' a slow-build, Kris Barras led downtempo that carries genuine poignancy in its subtle, atmospheric arrangement and reflective lyric ("When you hear their last words fading like the picture on the wall, you feel the weight of silence after all; in the dark and endless distance there's a light that shines the most, but I'm still here in its shadow, chasing ghosts").
Whether Hollow Souls continue along a similar path where guest contributors and songwriting collaborators are part of the musical equation remains to be seen and heard, but there is no question the triumvirate of Barras, Manning & Jane (which sounds like a lawyer’s firm that would be as hard-hitting as their music) already sound like a band going places in the contemporary rock-blues world.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
CD, Vinyl, Bundles and related Hollow Souls merch can be purchased at: https://shop.hollowsouls.co.uk
Hollow Souls will embark on their first UK tour in October and November, with Troy Redfern as Special Guest support.
Indeed, debut EP Hollow Souls is much more than the sum of those individual parts, bolstered by a rock solid studio rhythm section of drummer Joe Harris (Toby Lee, Lack of Afro), bassist Leighton Allen (Callum Scott, The Hoosiers) and a quartet of significant guest contributors.
The six track offering opens with 'Borderline,' a swampy-stomp handclap blues that hearkens back to the Kris Barras Band’s earliest albums, where contemporary meets the rugged and rootsy.
Led by a chant chorus vocal and blues-sassy verses from Phoebe Jane, 'Borderline' sports a nifty, incessant riff and some tasty six-string licks (and an unfettered solo) from guest guitarist Jared James Nichols.
'Bad Things,' with its subtle southern rock-blues touch, carries a little Hendrix in its opening guitar remark (think slightly slower moving 'Crosstown Traffic') before guest singer Chris Tapp of The Cold Stares steps up to the mic for the verses.
Tapp’s husky-voiced deliveries are counterpointed by a melodic switch-up on the Phoebe Jane sung choruses; a short but wicked solo from Kris Barras adds a little spice.
'I Need The Fire,' featuring an impacting (and at times self-harmonised) vocal from Phoebe Jane and a feisty little guitar solo, brings big-beat pound and thick-riffed drive to proceedings.
Providing vocal contrast, but making no less impact, is the rock-blues raunch and roll of 'Burn It To The Ground, featuring the unmistakable husky tones of Elles Bailey, who brings defiance to her sass fuelled delivery ("I’m fighting dirty, deep in my soul; go ahead and try me, you’ll pay the toll").
Third guest vocalist, Jon "Marv" Harvey of Monster Truck, is up front and centre on 'Shotgun,' a mid-tempo, metal-edged rock-blues bruiser that suits Harvey’s earthy delivery, and the song’s no nonsense lyric, perfectly ("You don’t want any more of this, If you keep it up I’ll put down my cup, and you’ll get a good taste of my fist!").
Adding balladeering light to the heavyweight shade of the preceding quintet of songs is 'Chasing Ghosts,' a slow-build, Kris Barras led downtempo that carries genuine poignancy in its subtle, atmospheric arrangement and reflective lyric ("When you hear their last words fading like the picture on the wall, you feel the weight of silence after all; in the dark and endless distance there's a light that shines the most, but I'm still here in its shadow, chasing ghosts").
Whether Hollow Souls continue along a similar path where guest contributors and songwriting collaborators are part of the musical equation remains to be seen and heard, but there is no question the triumvirate of Barras, Manning & Jane (which sounds like a lawyer’s firm that would be as hard-hitting as their music) already sound like a band going places in the contemporary rock-blues world.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
CD, Vinyl, Bundles and related Hollow Souls merch can be purchased at: https://shop.hollowsouls.co.uk
Hollow Souls will embark on their first UK tour in October and November, with Troy Redfern as Special Guest support.
