Tag: blues rock’n’roll

The Jones “Silver Faces”

Published on by veglamLeave a comment

Paris rock’n’rollers The JONES are back with a new 13 track album. Opening song “True Love” mixes DR. FEELGOOD to Les DOGS while “Sid Vicous” brings GARY GLITTER and T.REX to mind. The JONES are no newcomers since they played in many bands before, including BAD LOSERS and CHRIS WILSON, so you can expect some good, solid and tight playing. The 60s influences can be heard in “Shake” or in “Betty Jean” while “No One To Blame” has a cool rockabilly vibe and a pretty catchy chorus. The classic blues rock’n’roll side of the band shows more in “Come Back To Me Baby”, “Silver Faces” and in “Can’t Afford Wasting My Life”, and you’ll get your powerpop fix with “Morning Ghost” and “Look The Part.” You’ll even hear some groovy funky guitars in “Looking For A Fox” and some classy pop in the last song “Twenty Seven.”
Keith Richards once said “The rock is easy, but the roll is another thing…”, and “Silver Faces” shows us how it has to be done! /Laurent C.

Website

Facebook page

 

Guttercats “Follow Your Instinct”

Published on by veglamLeave a comment

Paris’ GUTTERCATS are back with a 4th album already. Opener “A Trip Down Memory Lane” displays more pop influences than in their previous works, although you still can hear the obvious GUN CLUB influence. The band also gets darker with “(Beyond The Limits) Before I Die”, the guitars still have this cowboy slide feel, and the drums sometimes get crazy à la Keith Moon. You’ll hear some 60s influences in “I Wonder”, “I Promise” (and its psychedelic end), as well as in the sax infused ballad “Sweet Little Sister” (not to be mistaken for SKID ROW‘s famous sleaze rock’n’roll hit!)
My personal favourite is probably “Follow Your Instinct” and its repetitive, yet groovy hypnotic post-punk tones.
The band’s music sometimes gets close to NICK CAVE‘s (“Don’t Cry On My Shoulder”), and often gets drama-romantic (“Down In a Hole”, “No Remorse No Regrets”) although “On The Road” reminds me of Guts’ old band BABY STRANGE since it goes more into early 90s British glam rock’n’roll territories.
The production of this new album fits the band very well since it sounds live enough to imagine how these songs can sound once they are played on a stage and under the lights.
Let’s face it, GUTTERCATS are only getting better and better with age, just like good wine!/Laurent C.

Facebook page

 

 

The So Lows “Alto”

Published on by veglamLeave a comment

When European winter gets dark and cold, it’s nice to listen to something that can take you far away. The SO LOWS are based in Los Angeles and play bluesy rock’n’roll that will make you feel like you’re walking in the desert, looking at the sky. Opening song “Gotta Get You” has quite a catchy poppy chorus, and “Dead Horse” brings the first BLACK CROWES album to mind, which can’t be a bad thing! You’ll hear quite a few soul influences in songs like “Time Forgot” or “Junkies and Rosaries”, and The ROLLING STONES could have co-written “Romance” or “Gimme Some Lip.” The CHERRY BOMBZ also come to mind at times.
While a song like “Alone and Blue” could be featured in the soundtrack of a 50s/60s movie, You’re Mine” makes me think of IZZY STRADLIN‘s solo albums. When you open your eyes after the laste note of “On My Way”, you might realize you’re not in California, Nevada, or Arizona, but you’ll have to thank the So Lows for the cheap quality trip!
In 2018, The So Lows might just be what you need! /Laurent C.

https://www.thesolowsmusic.com/

Facebook page

 

Matty James “The Road To No Town”

Published on by veglamLeave a comment

Rock’n’Roll troubadour MATTY JAMES is back with 10 new songs in his travel bag. Following his 2014 debut “Last One To Die”, the young Northern Irish songwriter gets more on the country-folk/ballad side with this new album. Matty has been touring a lot in the UK and Europe, and you can feel it in these songs filled with dark bar and red wine night atmospheres.The Irish influence gets stronger on this new record, but you sometimes also get close to Western music on “Oh My Darlin’ or “Win Or Lose” (Pat McManus (MAMA’S BOYS) plays fiddle and lead guitar on this one.) You’ll also get a bit of New Orleans blues on “Money & The Devil.”
One of the strongest songs on here is “Heavy Heart”, sad but positive at the same time, and you’ll still get a bit of STONES ballad influence in “Hold On”, and some SOCIAL DISTORTION in “Dissatisfied.”
MATTY JAMES also plays bass in the TYLA J. PALLAS band, which shouldn’t surprise you much! The Road To No Town might lead you to unexpected territories!/Laurent C.

http://www.mattyjames.net/
http://www.pirateheartrecords.com/mattyjames/

 

Matty James “Last One To Die”

Published on by veglamLeave a comment

LOTDFollowing two promising EPs and the STONES influenced single “Up In Smoke” (second track on the CD), “Last One To Die” is Matty James‘ debut album on his own record label Pirate Heart Records. If you want something done right, do it yourself!
The record starts in a dark folk melancholic way with “Leaving” in which you’ll find a bit of Nick Cave, or even VIOLENT FEMMES.
From heartbreak ballads (“Don’t Turn Your Light Out On Me”, “Never Learn”, “By The Cold Light Of The Night”, “Another Night”) to gutter bluesy rock’n’roll (‘Last One To Die” featuring DOGS D’AMOUR‘s Tyla J. Pallas”, “Better Days”, or the punky “Same Old Me (Brand New You)”), Matty James sounds like he already has recorded 5 albums before ; Sometimes you just have to admit that the best wines aren’t always the oldest ones!/Laurent C.

http://www.mattyjamesofficial.com/

Pre-order CD from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-One-Die-Matty-James/dp/B00K0O63U2/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1398959275&sr=1-1&keywords=matty+james+last+one

Pre-order Digital Download from iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/matty-james/id852469511

Rock City Angels “Use Once And Destroy”

Published on by veglamLeave a comment
Those of us who constantly crow and moan about the sad lack of real rock’n’roll in the police-state, bleak age of war-radio, and musical propaganda, have much to celebrate with the long-awaited release of “USE ONCE AND DESTROY”, by those honky-tonk heroes, ROCK CITY ANGELS!
The reunion of real rock’n’roll’s finest heart and soul beltin’ badass-rising, BOBBY DURANGO, with the punk’n’roll underground’s finest guit-sling, JIMMY JAMES, from the Hangmen, and legendary Coma-Tones! This LP is way better than “YOUNG MAN’S BLUES”, their long-buried classic debut from the flash-metal years. Plenty of these newer tunes are as good as much-loved classics like, “Damned Don’t Cry”, and “Mary” from the old daze! It’s like, what if Billy Burke joined the Juju Hounds? It rocks like the Heartbreakers, or Replacements…or the original Guns N Roses with their punk street-cred, intact.
All those corporate wanking, sell-out, hairband whores only WISH they could rock this hard. Axl Rose could hire-in another ten Zakk Wylde’s for his shredder-army, and he still ain’t gonna come close to touching Jimmy James, just outta bed with a hangover. Joe Perry and all his lawyers and assistants and dieticians just ain’t got the soul, to make this kind of emotional music without syrupy song doctors, and their survellance-empire evil eyes on still more tedious product-endorsements, and film, and commercial-licensing, anymore. It’s such a damned shame, esp. if you can remember how good Aerosmith were, before it became all about big money, video games, Super Bowl appearances, and selling hot sauce.
Rock City Angels got vintage Aerosmith guts with Joe Strummer soul. A few high-lights include, the Cherry 13/Electric Frankenstein blitzkrieg of “Psychopath”, the heart-achin’ Dogs D’Amour blues-punk of “Corrine”, and the John Doe/Tom Waits influenced, “Coffee And Cigarettes”. The Rock City Angels are raunchier than the Quireboys, and as intelligent as Primal Scream. I like the Rock City Angels way, way better than the Diamond Dogs, because Bobby Durango still has plenty to say, he ain’t just sellin’ us old wine in new bottles.
All you glam casualties, street punks, gutter-snipes, and impoverished street-corner urchins, with the forty ounces and bad attitudes, can rejoice. I can only imagine how good “I Keep Fighting”, or “I Ain’t No Miracle Worker” must sound, if you’re drunk. Dee Dee Ramone melodies, with Hank The Third, or John Easdale quality lyrics. Absolutely essential, if you’re starved for real rock’n’roll. It just feels so fresh, so original, so exciting to hear the genuine stuff, again. It’s been a longass time. (-Anguish Young)http://www.myspace.com/therockcityangels