Just one year after their first, and promising album “The Go-To Guy”, The ROLE MODELS are back with a new record, and new line-up. The band’s power pop brings The WILDHEARTS to mind in songs like “(I Broke My Back) Disappointing You” (in which you’ll hear Steve Conte on solo guitar), or “No Shame”, but these guys also heavily flirt with sleazy rock’n’roll on “Got No Time” and “I Ain’t Lucky.”
Rich Jones (BLACK HALOS, MICHAEL MONROE…) and Sami Yaffa still play on a few songs, and Chris Barry (39 STEPS, PILLBOX) sings on “Goodbye and Horray”, quite a cool rock’n’roll team, right?
Songs like “Wanted To Be Wanted” and “The Lights On Your Road” are real poppy hits in an early GOO GOO DOLLS/REPLACEMENTS vein, and for some reason you won’t find many other bands writing such songs nowadays.
You’ll hear a lot of melancholy in “Bullshit Corner” and its great sax solo, which echoes the album’s title “Forest Lawn”, the place where singer/guitarist Rich Rags grew up. This second album is a natural evolution for ROLE MODELS… Just growing up strong! /Laurent C.
Veglam 