Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Dirt On My Diamonds Vol 2

I can’t say I’m an assiduous follower of Kenny Wayne Shepherd, but the opening couple of tracks on Dirt On My Diamonds Vol 2 certainly emulate the up to date kinda sounds that were often the highlights of last year’s Volume 1.
‘I Got A Woman’ features an ear-catching fuzzed up riff, with horn reinforcements, over a four-on-the-floor beat.  What’s more, it’s a more than decent tune with a strong, catchy hook, and Shepherd’s fizzing solo is icing on what’s already a tasty cake.  The good grooves here are then carried over into ‘The Middle’, which has a jabbing melody to go with some sharp lyrics about partisan politics, and Noah Hunt’s lead vocal given some chanted backing. Shepherd’s wah-wah pedal gets an outing, and there more horns, but what I really like is the overall impression of

Kenny Wayne Shepherd - "Did somebody say lunch?"

Pic by Mark Seliger

fresh-sounding backing with neat little twists and flourishes.  Producer Marshall Altman is also credited with “programming”, and maybe that’s contributing to the modern sheen audible on these tracks, if not overtly.
For me the six tracks that follow don’t quite have the same sense of purpose and identity, the penultimate cut ‘Pressure’ perhaps illustrating why.  It starts off well, with an offbeat funkiness leaning on an appealing bass’n’drums groove laid down by Kevin McCormack and Chris Layton.  But then some horn interjections arrive, as they do on most of the tracks here, and I can’t help thinking it might have been more interesting without them.  Not that this ruins things.  There’s still a satisfying hook, and Shepherd’s grinding solo conveys tension in keeping with the title.  Then they offer some interesting dynamics in the second half, with some gang vocals thrown into the mix and KWS spraying licks around in the background.  But maybe they could have been bolder, stretched the envelope a bit more.
All the same, there are good moments to be found across most of the piece.  When they get heavy on ‘Long Way Down’ it’s with a good strong riff, and if the lyric is so-so it’s still delivered with punch, emphasised by the backing vocals. ‘Never Made It To Memphis’ may not be anything special, but it’s still easy-going fun, as Shepherd’s solo adds some juice and they keep things cranked up enough to make an impression.  And there’s a similar sense of joie de vivre on the closing cover of ZZ Top’s ‘She Loves My Automobile’, a Chuck Berry-esque slice of rock’n’roll that may be a bit of a throwaway but is still entertaining, not least because Shepherd’s solo fits the vibe nicely.
Along the way the slow and melodic ‘My Guitar Is Crying’ is a bit too country rock-ish for me, with rather clichéd words, though Shepherd’s lyrical guitar break works well.  Meanwhile the loping chug of ‘Watch You Go’ is well enough executed, developing some swing as it progresses, and with Shepherd pulling out an interesting choral effect for his solo, but the gag about “I hate to see you leave but I sure do love to watch you go” has been delivered before, with more of a knowing wink, by saxman Jimmy Carpenter.
Dirt On My Diamonds Vol 2 is short’n’sharp, frequently bright and interesting album from Kenny Wayne Shepherd and co. But I reckon that with a bit more sonic adventure they could have achieved a more impressive, striking result.
 
Dirt On My Diamonds Vol 2 is out now, and can be ordered here.

The Cold Stares - The Southern

According to the PR bumf, The Cold Stares’ singer and guitarist Chris Tapp reckoned that “When it came time to record this album, I thought about everybody giving us this Southern rock tag, and decided to intentionally write songs that explore that.”  The results though, don’t sound like yer typical Black Crowing or countrified “Southern rock” peddled by many a band nowadays.  As Tapp tells it, this is because during their Kentucky youth, he and drummer bandmate Brian Mullins used to sit in with some old geezers who spent their time playing the likes of Free, Bad Company, Robin Trower and AC/DC.
So when the metaphorical needle drops on opening track ‘Horse To Water’, what you get sounds like a mash-up of a Lizzy-like stick-and-move riff with a tune redolent of, say, King King.  Which to these ears makes for a pretty good start, and with icing on the proverbial courtesy of a sizzling solo from Tapp.

The Cold Stares, badly in need of a good decorator

Pic by Alex Morgan

Tapp has quite the way with a soulful blues-rock vocal, as evidenced by ‘Blow Wind Blow’, where it’s paired with a muscular cowboy-style riff.  It’s a well-assembled thang, with a strong chorus, and an FX-treated solo from Tapp that matches the mood well.  And later he’s equally soulful on the chorus of ‘Woman’, with its Coverdale-esque melody rubbing up against a grinding riff that almost suppresses a wailing, barbed wire guitar solo – almost, but not quite.
Their ear for a whackingly good rock riff is readily apparent.  There’s the turbo-charged affair that features among the loud/quiet, fast/slow dynamics of ‘Looking For A Fight’, before a square-cut, fuzzed up animal emerges midway to bolster the third verse, and then they hit gas pedal again.  ‘Seven Ways To Sundown’ may open with some inventive low key percussion from Mullins, along with subtle, spaced out, low slung chords, but it’s not long before they drop another big riff to go with Tapp’s delivery of an earnest chorus.  It’s another good song, and sports a restrained, trippy solo that at its end has me ready to hear Hendrix saying “Comin’ to get ya”.  Then next up ‘No Love In The City Anymore’ dives into earshot with an impressive zig-zagging riff to go with pattering percussion and a sturdy chorus, before Tapp knocks out a tasty, twirling solo.
They can get down to the blues roots too though, as on ‘Coming Home’ where Tapp’s jangly acoustic sounds like banjo or mandolin.  Then it gets electrified as it progresses, and the repeated refrain worms its way into you skull.  ‘Level Floor Blues’ has a reverb-soaked, contemplative vocal over a sparse arrangement of tapping drums, glittering guitar, and bell-tolling bass from Bryce Klueh.  It creates a hypnotic mood, made more atmospheric when Tapp unwraps some moaning, groaning bluesy chords.  And final track ‘Mortality Blues’ lives up to its title, with good story-telling to go with more Resonator-like backing.  It’s simple and effective, with maybe a whiff of early Bonamassa – except Tapp is a better, more natural singer.
They show off more stylistic strings to their bow with ‘Confession’ and ‘Giving It Up’.  The former kicks off with choppy SRV-like funkiness, building into a punchy melody with more echo on the vocal.  Then Trap gets to work on an intergalactic transmission of a solo, with Mullins’ drums ramping up and Klueh’s bass grooving busily.  They get so into this, stirring up a spooky, storytelling ambience, that it begins to sound like they’ve been transported – I kid you not – from ‘By-Tor And The Snow Dog’ territory.  Meanwhile on ‘Giving It Up’ the choppy urgency again put me in mind of Stevie Ray to begin with, though with a harder edge than ‘Confession’ – or is it a distant descendant of the aforementioned Trower in upbeat mode?  We could trade comparisons all night, but whatever – it’s another winner.
You can take a horse to water, but you can’t paint it pink.  The Cold Stares may have set out to explore their Southern heritage, but on The Southern they sound like a band with honest-to-goodness classic Seventies blues-rock in their DNA.  And hey, that’s just dandy by me.
 
The Southern is out now on Mascot Records, and can be ordered here.

Check out the Blues Enthused reviews of The Cold Stares' 2023 album Voices here.
 

Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour - Friendlytown

Houston, I have a problem.  I don’t go a bundle on the vocals supplied by Roger C. Reale on Friendlytown.  No harm to the guy, this is purely a matter of personal taste.  His singing is tuneful enough and his phrasing is okay, but he generally sounds like he’s singing from the back of his throat in a way that I find distracting.
This is a bit of a pain when you’re listening to a Steve Cropper album, which is really all about the songs and the grooves, rather than some guitar fireworks festival. Though it should be said that Cropper and co-producer/bassist Jon Tiven have roped in Billy F Gibbons as a “band member”, contributing both guitar parts and a bunch of songwriting credits to Friendlytown – hence the “Midnight Hour” moniker.

Steve Cropper and common-or-garden guitar

Pic by Stacie Huckeba

Title track 'Friendlytown' gets the show on the road, and chugs along very nicely, with a simple, stinging riff, augmented by organ and rambling bass, and counterpointed by a flickering guitar line.  It’s a good relaxed tune too.  But like I say, I'm not sold on Reale’s vocal delivery.  And on the following ‘Too Much Stress’ that problem is compounded by allowing Brian May to get behind the mic for a duet.  It’s a lightweight tune with country-rock’n’roll foundations, and May’s thin voice doesn’t give it any more heft.  He’s more at home injecting some fizz via a guitar exchange, and there’s a key change to add an extra twist, but it remains short on personality.  Queen’s ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’ wasn’t a million miles away from this in style, but was turned into something memorable by Freddie Mercury camping it up big time.
Still, things buck up a bit on the following ‘Hurry Up Sundown’, a likeable song that packs a fair amount into three minutes.  A shave-and-a-haircut rhythm is accompanied by handclaps, trilling piano, and burbling horns, as the undercurrent for neat tumbling riff that’s the launchpad for a tasty pinging guitar break.  The following ‘Let’s Get Started’ is a cantering excursion in a Northern Soul direction, with attractive twiddling guitars over the four-on-the-floor beat, and if there’s not much to it melodically speaking it does have a suitable positive vibe.
‘Liars, Crooks & Clowns’ is a lurching chug reminiscent of Springsteen’s ‘Seeds’ in tone, though without the gutsiness.  It does have a more interesting lyric than some of the stuff here though, and it has to be said that Reale’s vocal sounds better too, by virtue of being in a slightly higher register.  The same is true of ‘In God We Trust’, and there’s also a buzz’n’twang combination to the guitars that works well, along with the popping guitar licks on the fade-out.  But if the simple melody is decent enough, the lyrics veer towards the dull.
The upbeat ‘Reality Check’ is better, basically reworking the riff from ‘Take Me To The River’ with a sense of urgency rather than tension, while Reale’s emphatic vocal does justice to the sentiment that “Everybody’s breathing down my neck, I can’t even cash my reality check”.
Along the way there’s also the slow blues of ‘I’ll Take Tomorrow’, on which a sparse arrangement includes wafts of organ and some low end warping and wefting lead guitar work from Gibbons.  There’s also a Seventies Stonesy kinda feel to ‘Lay It On Down’, with buzzing rhythm guitar and spiky lead mingling over clipping drums and parping horns, the satisfying tune also enlivened by a warped twanger of a guitar break.
‘Rain On My Parade’ is an appealing smoother soul offering, with a dreamy feel and languid guitar chords, boosted by some chocolatey bass from Tiven and staccato horn punctuation, and some perky lead guitar work.  And ‘There’s Always A Catch’ is something of a back to basics affair that might have been better if they’d really committed to the quasi-Latin vibe of the intro, though it does get better in the middle when backing vocals and horns stiffen it and give it more oomph.
Thirteen tracks is too many for my liking, but Friendlytown is an entertaining enough album in spite of its various flaws – Cropper still has the grooves, and Billy Gibbons brings an additional spark on the lead guitar front.  File under friendly fun.
 
Friendlytown is out now on Provogue Records, and can be ordered here.

Quickies - Scarlet Rebels, and Brave Rival

Today’s Quickies round-up is a one-two of new generation hard rocking, with the second albums from Welsh band Scarlet Rebels and Portsmouth-based Brave Rival.
 
Scarlet Rebels – Where The Colours Meet
 
For reasons passing understanding, I’ve not come across Scarlet Rebels until now – and on the strength of Where The Colours Meet I’ve clearly been missing out.
They kick start the album with a trio of belters, in ‘Secret Drug’, ‘Let Me In’ and ‘It Was Beautiful’.  The first opens with spiky guitar á la ‘Baba O’Riley’ from lead guitarist Chris Jones, before vocalist Wayne Doyle weighs in with churning rhythm guitar.  Add in thunderous drums, surging riffs, and a simple, bang-yer-head chorus, and they’re off and running like a runaway train.  Then

Scarlet Rebels enjoy a bit of photo shoot posing

Pic by Rob Blackham

the staccato slam of ‘Let Me In’ ups the ante in a hard-rocking manner worthy of Wayward Sons, diamond-sharp rather than blunt-edged metal.  It’s a cracking, tightly assembled tune, and the guitars sound like being in the bell tower of Notre Dame while Quasimodo does his stuff, topped off with a steely solo like a skewer to the ears.  ‘It Was Beautiful’ then drifts in with delicate piano notes and hushed vocals from Doyle, but it’s not long before they’re launching into a big, Manics-like chorus, garlanded by piano in the midst of some ring’n’rip guitar work, with six string harmonies into the bargain.
If they open strong, they maybe close even stronger, with ‘Divide And Conquer’ and ‘My House My Rules’.  The former unleashes a blistering, twisting and turning Celtic-style guitar riff as the accompaniment to an overtly anti-Tory lyric.  Wayne Doyle’s vocal delivery bristles with urgency, as does the song as a whole, with more guitar harmonies and a crashing bridge adding to the fun.  Then ‘My House . . .’ is a co-write with Ricky Warwick that’s lightning-bolt electric, Doyle’s vocal jabbed home clearly and insistently, while Jones adds a suitably shrieking then melodic solo over an earthquake of drums from Gary Doyle.
They don’t let up in between these two poles either.  ‘Grace’ combines a character study lyric, a bouncing riff and an extended, agitated chorus to excellent effect, with a stiletto-like solo and an ear-catching blend of rhythm and lead guitar. And ‘Out Of Time’ is a sweeping, earnest ballad on which Wayne Doyle duets with the guesting Elles Bailey, whose vocal is given an intriguing reverb-drenched/double-tracked treatment.
The word “anthemic” could have been coined for ‘How Much Is Enough’, an exercise in making simplicity count, with mountainous, resounding chords over an uncomplicated, whacking beat, another twirl of guitar harmonies, and an irresistible soaring chorus.  Meanwhile ‘Streets Of Fire’ is a solidly hard-driving affair, sturdily anchored by Carl Oag’s bass, opening with an echoing, Celtic-tinged guitar line that turns into angular embellishment to the rhythm guitar.  And if that’s not enough, ‘Who Wants Be In Love Anyway’ is propelled by hammering bass and drums from Oag and Doyle, with prickly guitars encircling the catchy chorus, and a serrated-edge guitar solo bringing a Muse-like vibe.
If sharp, modern British hard rock is your kinda thing, Where The Colours Meet is absolutely for you.  And for me, without a shadow of a doubt.
 
Where The Colours Meet is out now on Earache Records, and can be ordered here.
 
 
Brave Rival – Fight Or Flight
 
Brave Rival’s USP is the twin lead vocal combination of Chloe Josephine and Lindsey Bonnick, and it has to be said they make good use of their clear, precise voices, dovetailing here and harmonising there.
The mingling of the two vocals works well on the opening ‘Bad Choices’, for example, stretching out the notes on the verses, stuttering riff and twangy bass, but the tongue-twisting lines of the chorus make less of a mark.  But the chorus on ‘Seventeen’ is stronger, complementing the swooping, slurring harmonies of the verses, while pummelling drums from Donna Peters reinforce the stop-start riff.
The purity of the voices also lends itself to an epic, proggy metal kinda vibe, as on ‘Insane’ for

Brave Rival get the bird's eye treatment

Pic by Rob Blackham

example.  A slower animal this one, the spangly guitar suggests mirrorball time, while the breathy vocals and harmonies create a spooky, ghostly atmosphere.  Then there’s a gear change into a big, widescreen chorus.  There’s some nice bass from Billy Dedman, strings providing dramatic counterpoint, and guitarist Ed Clarke gets suitably angsty on his guitar solo, though the high velocity fluttering segment isn’t especially individual.
There’s a similar kind of neo-Dio vibe going on with the mid-tempo ‘Blame The Voices’, which is awash with strings and comes with an attention-grabbing bass line.  There’s a crunching staccato riff in the bridge, and Clarke’s solo has a strong sense of the epic.  But it also illustrates a couple of their less positive tendencies, with overly wordy lyrics and the kitchen sink being thrown in at the end to less effect than they probably imagine.
‘Unravelling’ demonstrates the value of a bit more simplicity, with push-and-pull alternating vocals over a stop-time riff – another favoured modus operandi – and clacking wood block.  With a good hook, and waves of organ courtesy of guest Jonny Henderson, it’s catchy in a Purplish kinda way, though the female voices give it pomp rock slant.  Clarke’s guitar solo is neat, but the wordy, high-pitched bridge creates some unnecessary complication.
‘All I Can Think About’ has an acoustic opening and folky vibe, with an appealing vocal arrangement, and provides a welcome, sensitive breather – at least until they surge into tidal wave mode again, with mucho agitation.  ‘Five Years On’ explores a different angle though, with a twitching riff and funky rhythm, before veering into some interestingly wonky revolving guitar chords and an undercurrent of organ.  This time the rat-a-tat vocals work, and the bluesy guitar break is refreshing, though they still pile on the power for the chorus.
There’s some blues too in the mellow intro to the closing ‘Stars Upon My Scars’, and they maintain some wistful restraint for a while, with patient guitar weaving, the pressure building with purpose until the dam eventually breaks with an accelerating screamer of a solo from Clarke, making for a strong finish.
Brave Rival have certainly got a few things going for them, not least the combined vocals of Josephine and Bonnick.  I reckon they need to work on smarter lyrics though, and more distinctive melodies too at times.  Meantime I have a hankering for some more straight up rock’n’roll after all that epic intensity.
 
Fight Or Flight is out now, and can be ordered here.