Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews

COASTLAND RIDE – On Top Of The World

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Nine years is a long time between albums by anyone’s standards, but that’s exactly how long it took the Swedish AOR trio Coastland Ride to follow up their 2003 debut.  Now signed to the German label Avenue of Allies (home to the superb State Cows), ‘On Top of the World’ features a brilliant selection of well-written tunes, bolstered father by some classy musicianship.  Like fellow Scandinavians Crossfade – whose second release had a similarly extended gestation period – it could easily be said that this was a band worth waiting for.  Some things just cannot be rushed.

Giving the album a strong start, ‘Act of Faith’, has all the hallmarks of great melodic rock from the early 90s. Coastland Ride choose begin with all guns blazing, offering a brilliantly played lead guitar break during the intro (courtesy of fellow Swede Sven Larsson of Street Talk fame), before settling into the bulk of the song.  Here, you’ll find a blanket of keyboards, some very melodic vocals and a killer chorus.  You’ve heard it all time and again, but when done well, such retro rock chops cannot be beaten.  The track is topped off with a great solo – again, the work of Larsson – to create an opener which guarantees you’ll keep listening.  ‘Wait’ explores similarly tried and tested formulas, but – if anything – achieves a much better result.  The featured chorus is a match for most of the supposedly “classic” tracks of the genre, dripping with harmonies and the kind of key-changes which guarantee enjoyment.

‘Wait’, as a stand-alone track, would be enough alone to recommend checking out this release, but this is a band with even more great music waiting to be heard.  The title cut dispenses with some of the guitars, concentrating instead on keyboard work; a mix of 80s keys and old-fashioned 70s electric piano provide the basis of a great piece of Westcoast pop which sounds like a tune which could have graced a Hall & Oates album from the 1980s.  Harmonies abound, it proves the band to be great singers as well as songwriters and arrangers.  ‘Nail Me To The Cross’ showcases a much harder side to Coastland Ride.  We’re not talking anything metallic, per se, since it’s still delivered in a very adult and melodic fashion; it’s just the guitars are much chuggier and the general attitude a little harder all round.  In all, it’s all rather more Toto’s ‘Kingdom of Desire’ as opposed to ‘Toto IV’, and of course, this doesn’t necessarily make it a bad track.  On the plus side, the vocal performances display a certain degree of rock edge and the featured guitar solo is another good one.  However, on the negative, the programmed drums seem a touch out of place.  Despite best intentions, it’s no match for the Coastland Ride’s very naturalistic performances heard elsewhere.

Following a rather clunky intro, ‘Save You From Yourself’ descends into yet another keyboard laden verse, over which Markus Nordenberg sounds extremely comfortable in his role as lead vocalist, hitting smooth, long notes with ease.  Just as you’re probably wondering what that odd intro was all about, it makes a return for the chorus: slightly edgy, very much at odds with the verses.  And yet, Coastland Ride balls it out, laying solid three part harmonies over the top in a way which really ought not to work, but somehow does.  The marching beat which drives ‘Lodestar’ appears a little throwaway at first, but the song is home to a pleasing, upfront bassline, over which Nordenberg adds another strong vocal.  By the time the chorus rolls around, the other chaps lay on the usual amount of harmonies to flesh out the sound.  Finding space for a guitar solo with a tone which hints at jazz-rock as opposed to AOR brings another nice touch.  Although this track may be more disposable than some of the other offerings, it would be a lie to suggest it isn’t enjoyable for what it is.

‘Second Chance’ makes great use of stabbing keyboards, which have an unashamed early 80s quality which would make Toto smile.  What quickly becomes an unmissably upbeat tune is then taken to new level of goodness when Coastland Ride’s bring their knack for choruses and harmonies back to the fore.  A particularly parpy saxophone solo does its utmost to spoil the brilliant mood, but thankfully makes a fairly swift exit.  Saxophone aside, this track could rival the aforementioned State Cows’ debut release for Westcoast loveliness.  Both this  track and ‘On Top of The World’ could be a different band to that featured on the opening pair of numbers, but both sides of Coastland Ride’s style are equally enjoyable for different reasons.

Boasting a big spoken word intro, ‘Jericho Falls’ is much bigger – much pompier – than your average Coastland Ride tune.  Quickly, the listener is immersed in a wave of mechanical rhythms and very 80s keyboards, while vocally, it retains a sense of the theatrical with the deep-toned spoken voice continuing to fill the verses in a similar mood.  This is counterbalanced by a female (sung) voice and the eventual appearance of regular vocalist Markus Nordenberg, delivering a chorus much like you’re expecting.  Kudos to Coastland Ride for attempting to create something a bit more adventurous; it might not have the long lasting appeal of their best work, but there are some great moments here.

If there’s any small criticism to be made regarding ‘On Top of The World’ as a whole album, it’s that more live sounding drums would have been a plus.  While there’s little doubt that a lot of the percussion is programmed – and to be fair, it doesn’t often present itself in a way which detracts from the overall of the music – a real drummer still cannot be beaten.  On the whole, though, this second release from Coastland Ride is a hugely, hugely enjoyable affair, with choruses aplenty and a generally great vibe throughout.  Some may sneer and call it unfashionable, but what the hell…for AOR/Westcoast devotees, this is an album which comes highly recommended indeed.

January 2012

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CHIMP SPANNER – All Roads Lead Here EP

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Chimp Spanner is an instrumental project from the mind of multi-instrumentalist Paul Ortiz, where he gets to push chugging riffs – played on seven stringed guitars – to extremes while mixing metal, progressive tendencies and a touch of jazz-rock fusion.  The results are technical and complex, but often, there’s an unexpected melodic counterpart which can be enjoyed by listeners who really aren’t inspired by the general muso-ness of it all.  Chimp’s previous release, 2010’s ‘At The Dream’s Edge’ featured some superb tunes and jaw-dropping musicianship; 2012’s ‘All Roads Lead Here’ effectively extends the musical themes of that release, creating something equally intense and twisted, but strangely magical.

‘Dark Edge of Technology’ throws the listener in at the deep end, ploughing through a fantastic off-kilter rhythm delivered in a sledgehammer manner – full-on chug, maximum downtuning – over which the lead guitars have a classic clean tone.  In Chimp Spanner style, that clean tone helps lighten the mood somewhat even though the main thrust of the tune remains as intense as ever.  There are some moments of multi-tracked guitars which are a nice touch, but these soon get swept away under another really uncompromising riff.  Following a very brief interlude of atmospheric keys and trippiness, it’s a return to the main riff with its heady tech-metal approach.  A fantastic start, for sure, but there are better musical thrills just over the horizon.

‘Engrams’ brings a haunting mellow melody played with a clean tone over soft drones.  At just under two minutes it serves as a very effective introduction for the EP’s main feature – ‘Mobius’, a musical suite in three parts.  As you may expect, ‘Mobius’ brings back the levels of intensity which are present in most of Chimp’s best works – but it’s the third section in particular which serves as the EP’s high point with regards to metal.  The bass drum sounds provide pneumatic qualities, over which Ortiz’s brief bursts of tapping are hugely entertaining.  Pulled together by a blanket of keyboards in a Devin Townsend style, overall it’s a superb example of tech/progressive metal, bringing nearly fifteen minutes’ worth of already enjoyable music to a suitable climax.

For listeners who like things a little gentler, the EP’s closer ‘Cloud City’ showcases more of Ortiz’s jazz rock chops.  Following a few bell-like chords, the main riff crashes in (again with a heavy edge), before quickly falling away to allow the lead guitar to take centre stage.  Here, Ortiz plays some beautiful, mostly clean toned notes – with plenty of vibrato – sounding like a cross between Jeff Beck and Steve Lukather.  He’s certainly no slouch with bass either, as a percussive and funky bassline brings a superb accompaniment.  Despite beginning with a jazz-rock mood, being a Chimp Spanner release, Ortiz can’t resist bringing things back to familiar tech-metal territory: the track closes with those great vibrating lead guitar lines played over a hugely downtuned and hugely heavy riff.  Once again, this is kept interesting by way of a quirky time signature [Actually, quirky doesn’t  even come close to describing this!].  For the parts of the second half, there’s so much bottom end, it begs to be heard on a decent stereo; there’s literally no point in experiencing this through your mp3 player’s earphones – it would be a waste of your time and a dreadful waste of Chimp Spanner’s talent.  [Also, if you like this, chances are, parts of Glen Drover’s ‘Metalusion’ will possibly also float your boat].

Following ‘At The Dream’s Edge’ was always going to be tough, but this EP does everything you’d hope for from another Chimp Spanner release.  If you’re already aware of Chimp Spanner, you know you want this too.

January 2012

BRENDAN BENSON – My Old, Familiar Friend

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The gap between the release of Brendan Benson’s underrated third full length, 2006’s ‘Alternative To Love’ and 2009’s ‘My Old, Familiar Friend’ seemed far longer than three years.  It’s not like Benson hadn’t kept himself busy in the interim, of course, since after the release of ‘The Alternative To Love’, he recorded with Jack White as part of The Raconteurs.

‘My Old, Familiar Friend’, his fourth solo release (recorded in 2007, between the two Raconteurs albums, but not released until August 2009), in places, treads some very familiar ground. Benson chooses to bring little to no influence from his stints with the Raconteurs to the table, marking a very distinct difference between that band and his solo releases.  Whereas The Raconteurs provides Benson with an excuse to be a little edgy, ‘My Old, Familiar Friend’ celebrates his many 70s power-pop influences and, in places, proves a much smoother listening experience than the bulk of his previous solo outings. Aptly titled, this album feels like a familiar friend even upon early listens. If anything though, Brendan sounds more confident than ever before, with the quirky, disjointed elements of his ‘One Mississippi’ debut left far behind.

The first couple of tracks could have been slotted in somewhere on Benson’s earlier outings, but that’s not to say they’re not memorable at all, in fact, the opening track ‘A Whole Lot Better’, is quite the opposite.  It begins with some great old fashioned keyboard fuzz, before breaking into a decent slab of upbeat pop rock.  The drumming is especially tight and the guitars give the piece plenty of drive, but it’s the bass and keyboards which are the most striking.  Throughout the four minutes, the track is coloured by lots of early eighties keyboard work – the kind that any number of power pop bands from the period – Shoes, Paul Collins’ Beat, 20/20 et al – would have been more than proud to showcase.  That bassline though – upfront and jaunty – is absolutely glorious.  Once Benson throws in a couple of hooks, the most notable coming in somewhere toward the end, the track proves to be a more than solid opening statement.  ‘Eyes On The Horizon’, meanwhile, is a little more laid back, led by some great electric piano.  The mid-paced pop/rock ditty allows Benson more room vocally and his distinctive (and slightly treated vocal) fits the arrangement very well.  Once again, the chorus is a winner, but it’s in very much a tried and tested formula and will strike a familiar chord with those familiar with Benson’s previous releases.

It’s upon first hearing of ‘Garbage Day’ you’ll realise that this album is something special. A retro tune, it could be seen as a power pop take on 60s soul, being led by punchy rhythms and fleshed out by strings.  The snare drum lays down a steady beat, under which the very warm bass guitar and electric piano pick up the bulk of the arrangement.  There are hints of acoustic and electric guitars throughout, but the track could have almost worked entirely without them.  For a man with a voice far from smooth at times, Benson lends a suitably restrained vocal, too.  In all, a definite album high point – maybe even a career high point.   ‘Gonowhere’ is similarly polished, but far more in the singer songwriter mould.  The late 70s keyboards would be enough to make Greg Hawkes smile, although they’re in a style which may not appeal to all.  The piano adds some great flourishes, while a harmony filled chorus has a certain level of subtlety which means it registers far later than some of the other hooks present on this disc.  Within the singer-songwriter stylings and multi-layered arrangement, there are traces of the mighty Todd Rundgren and maybe even a dash of Jeff Lynne, but it’s all served in Benson’s own sense of style.

‘Feel Like Taking You Home’ brings the album’s only real curve-ball. Nowhere as smooth as previous tracks, there are definite new wave influences at play, which possibly owes much to the fact the arrangement is almost guitarless.  The focus – like ‘Eyes On The Horizon’ and ‘Gonowhere’ – is totally on the keyboards, but unlike the aforementioned tracks there’s a tension and all round edginess building throughout.  Interestingly, parts of the vocal melody are reminiscent of The Raconteurs’ ‘Broken Boy Soldiers’ but that’s as far as any comparison between any of Benson’s solo work and his band activity goes.  ‘You Made a Fool Out of Me’, an acoustic-based track, at first shows the harsh edges in Brendan’s vocal style, but before long a piano and strings flesh out the arrangement.  It’s a nicely written piece which has hints of Mike Viola during his more reflective moments.  It doesn’t really stretch into any unexpected territory beyond it’s opening, and compared to a few other choice cuts on ‘My Old, Familiar Friend’ it isn’t quite as essential listening, but at just three and a half minutes it doesn’t outstay its welcome.

‘Misery’ is absolutely classic power pop which could have been from the late 70s/early 80s golden period, leading to a tune which could have been part of the Nick Lowe back catalogue. Clanky guitar chords, a pounding drum and a layer of organ open the tune in style, before falling away to make room for Benson’s lead vocal.  The verses are relatively ordinary, but once the chorus chimes in with British Invasion influences followed by fantastic ‘doo doo’ vocal, it becomes instantly loveable.   ‘Poised and Ready’ offers another slice of classic drum-led pop/rock with all the relevent key changes; imagine Jellyfish’s noisiest side meeting a pre-county music Ben Kweller and you get the picture. The drum sound is crisp, the pianos hard-struck, the staccato rhythms all adding up to a track dripping with attitude.  You’ll have heard it all before by this point, naturally, but it still brings plenty of power pop thrills.

The Jellyfish influences carry through even farther on ‘Don’t Wanna Talk’ with its marching on the spot feel and ‘la la la’ choruses.  This is a stupidly infectious tune, and Benson knows it, with its simplicity being its greatest strength.  Each of the musicians brings something to the table: the drums provide the backbone, but looking at the smaller details, there’s some great rhythm guitar work and more organ hiding the back of what eventually becomes a very busy mix.  Brendan is not responsible for your singing this on the bus or in the supermarket; play this track at your own peril.

Rounding out the album, neither ‘Lesson Learned’ or ‘Borrow’ show any sign of slacking off or being consigned to the “filler material” file.  ‘Lesson Learned’s simple arrangement and electric piano have a certain retro cool, which when matched with Benson’s relaxed vocal style sounds very effective, especially once a few harmonies creep in.  ‘Borrow’ meanwhile, finishes the album with a mid-paced number full of jangling guitars and quirky keyboards.  Similarly to the way ‘My Old, Familiar Friend’ began, the mood is similar to a lot of the best numbers on Benson’s three previous records, making it a track guaranteed to please a lot of fans.

Eleven songs: all good, most of ’em great, with no filler.  In anyone’s book, that makes for a potential classic.   The best songs on 2002’s ‘Lapalco’ may still represent some of the artist’s strongest work as a songwriter but, as a complete body of work, ‘My Old, Familiar Friend’ could easily be Benson’s most consistent release.  Those unfamiliar  could do far worse than pick up ‘My Old, Familiar Friend’ as a jumping off point, especially since not only does it represent Benson in a superb light, it’s also one of the best power pop records of the late 00’s.  Supposedly, these tracks were culled from a much larger volume of work; if those left behind are anywhere near as good as those which made the final draft, there’s more great listening to be had sometime.

December 2009/January 2012

GUIDED BY VOICES – Let’s Go Eat The Factory

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After 2004’s ‘Half-Smiles of the Decomposed’, Dayton Ohio’s lo-fi heroes Guided By Voices went their separate ways.  Frontman Robert Pollard embarked upon a ridiculously prolific solo career, yielding on average two records per year, in addition to an almost innumerable number of side projects.  2012’s ‘Let’s Go Eat The Factory’ breaks a long hiatus for the band, and reunites what many fans consider to be the “classic” line-up of GBV: Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Greg Demos, and Kevin Fennell – a group of people last heard as a cohesive unit fifteen years previously.

Halfway through the opening track, it feels like Guided By Voices – in any form – have never been away.  And in many respects, they haven’t: each of Pollard’s post-GBV outings released between 2004-2011 often had a certain GBV feel, something especially true of the first of his 2011 releases ‘Space City Kicks’.  Something which is clear right from the outset, though, is that ‘Let’s Go Eat The Factory’ is more than just another GBV record.  There’s precious little here which echoes the polished indie rock which filled their last few records, for better or worse, there’s no ‘Glad Girls’, no ‘Teenage FBI’.  Sweeping away most, if never quite all, of the radio-friendly indie jangle of the latter years, ‘Let’s Go Eat…’ is gloriously lo-fi, a pure celebration of everything the band had been circa 1995/6 so, naturally, most of the record sounds like something you’ve owned by the band for years. There are, however, a couple of surprising elements to be found within the album’s twenty one songs.

Those surprising moments prove pivotal during two of the obvious stand out tracks.  ‘Hang Mr Kite’ will always be recognisable as the work of Robert Pollard due to his slightly drawling vocal, but musically it’s not very GBV-like at all.  His vocal sits atop the sounds of strings which provide a very late sixties mood – more like something you’d find on Nick Drake’s ‘Five Leaves Left’ than your average GBV release.  ‘Spiderfighter’, at first, offers plenty of fuzzed up riffing in a standard lo-fi indie-rock sense, but it’s during the coda where the real magic happens – the guitars stop and the vocals are met by a series of gently played piano chords.  The coda lasts just over a minute, but it’s long enough for you to realise that something unexpected and magical may have just happened. The smooth use of the piano is contrasted by the use of distortion during ‘The Things That Never Need’ which utilises sampled voices playing over the piano riff.  It may not have been the intention, but the results are spooky and unsettling, more like a hidden bonus track on a metal album than something which should appear midway into a Guided By Voices disc.  While most of ‘Let’s Go Eat…’ is everything you’ve been looking for from GBV’s return, these three tracks really leave a strong impression.

Elsewhere, it’s often business as usual at camp GBV.  ‘How I Met My Mother’ marries staccato riffs and slightly distorted vocals with a really atonal lead guitar part…before dissolving into nothing just over a minute later.   Perhaps overly familiar, ‘The Big Hat & Toy Show’ pushes the bass up front, over which guitars noodle in a Greg Ginn jazz-punk style, while Pollard sounds like he’s shouting into a bucket.  From most bands, this would appear frivolous, but from the world of GBV – like The Fall, surely their closest peers, despite being separated by geography – it’s all part of the charm.   Working from the same basis, ‘The Head’ marks time via the bass before being overlaid by twin guitars, before Fennell’s drums round out the garage band antics.  Fans of any pre-‘Bee Thousand’ releases are likely to get a warm glow of nostalgia from these numbers.

For those looking for something more accessible, the lovely – but all too brief – ‘Doughnut For a Snowman’ explores Pollard’s love of sixties style psych-pop, served up in a 90s alternative slacker way.  The tune is summery and pleasant in contrast with its wintery theme, while the main refrain of “doughnut for a snowman” could stick in your head for days, much in the same way tracks like ‘Tractor Rape Chain’ and ‘Echos Myron’ have in the past.  The decision to use acoustic guitar and keyboards during ‘Chocolate Boy’ to smooth out rather more typical rough edged guitar work is inspired. Attempting maximum jangle in minimum time, it has as much in common with Pollard’s late ’00 recordings as it does GBV; it’s a track which could have fit snugly onto – perhaps – ‘Robert Pollard Is Off To Business’ or ‘Standard Gargoyle Decisions’.  Equally awesome, ‘Either Nelson’ tinkers with structures which could be likened to The Who circa 1966, but twists them into a spiralling ugliness, topped by clanking pianos and what could be a mellotron.  At the centre, you’ll find everything that is enjoyable about mid-90s GBV, but there’s a sense that the band aren’t just repeating themselves.

The mellotron sounds make return during ‘Old Bones’, creating a sickly and unsettling backdrop over which a semi-whispered voice adds to the psychedelic air.  While relatively brief at just over two minutes, it isn’t always pleasant: the droning sounds aren’t unlike a stretched cassette tape – in short, something quite hard on the ears after a while.  The track ends abruptly, leading into ‘Go Rolling Home’, without a pause.  ‘Go Rolling Home’ and the following ‘The Room Taking Shape’ tease the listener by offering little more than a half formed ideas; as usual, the acoustic guitar work is barely in tune and the vocal slap-dash at best.  This pair may or may not be actual songs in the traditional sense, but for most GBV fans, these are set to bring a sense of the familiar; after all, GBV just wouldn’t be the same without these moments.

As always, half the fun here is separating the wheat from the chaff and then allowing the best material time to sink in.  It’s likely to make the greatest impression after you don’t think it’s actually registered at all.  It almost goes without saying ‘Let’s Go Eat The Factory’ is an album for fans only, but those fans are certainly going to find a dozen or so instant Guided By Voices classics within.

January 2012

LEE SMALL – Jamaica Inn

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Lee Small is a British vocalist who has been slowly putting together an impressive CV since the 1990s, including performances with UK rock bands Native Soul and Pride.  With the latter, Small was given the opportunity to tour with melodic rock heavyweights Winger and British favourites Thunder.  For lots of people, however, he will be best known as being Tony Mills’s replacement with UK rockers Shy, whose 2011 self-titled disc was one of the year’s melodic/classic rock highlights.

Celebrating the styles of his biggest influences, ‘Jamaica Inn’ is Lee Small’s second solo album, following 2008’s ‘Through The Eyes of Robert Lees’.  Inspired by the famous Cornish inn, many of the songs have a nautical theme, something strongly reinforced by the packaging.  In this sense, it could loosely be seen as a concept album of sorts, but each of the songs stand alone very well.  Looking beyond the smuggling and piracy, simply put, what we have here is a fine release, capturing a gifted vocalist in great form.  What’s most obvious here – from about halfway through first listen – is that Small’s range is greater than his rather big performances on that aforementioned Shy release would ever suggest.  Yes, he can still do big and powerful, but it’s the more subtle elements within his performances here which really lend the album that extra something.

The title cuts kicks things off in classic fashion with a slab of 70s inspired hard rock. Behind the drumkit, Salute drummer Imre Daun packs a hefty rhythm, presumably in an attempt to echo drum parts of Zeppelin’s past, while the main riff swaggers with a touch of reverb, not unlike the best moments of Black Country Communion. The influence from Glenn Hughes, particularly, is one which is unavoidable in Small’s performance.   And what a great performance it is, with Small chopping in the big wails of his previous work with Shy, and instead channelling the best parts of Hughes and Paul Rodgers, often in a manner which never feels overdone.  ‘Captain’s Quarters’ brings more subtlety, as the musical edges are somewhat softened.  Coloured by some old fashioned organ (courtesy of Saracen’s Paul Bradder) and bluesy guitar runs, the tune is well-structured, as once again, Small adopts a tone not unlike classic Glenn Hughes.  In all, a superb track which doesn’t ever labour the point even though it’s stretched out over six minutes.  In fact, the soft bluesy guitar moments could possibly have been extended – such is the professional nature of Small’s hired hands on this particular number.

Showcasing a still softer mood, ‘I Am The Sea’ is a thoughtful piece bringing acoustic guitar work, gentle percussion and strong harmony vocals against sounds of the sea.  With a sleepy delivery, its lulling nature can be seen as mimicking the tide rolling back and forth.  Just as you think it’s building to something, it’s gone.  ‘Smuggler’s Blues’ begins with a similarly gentle air, but once it warms up, the listener gets treated to another great slice of bluesy hard rock.  Again, there’s more than a hint of Deep Purple Mark III and Glenn Hughes at play (okay, comparisons are somewhat unavoidable), but it’s a style which will be welcomed by a great many fans of classic rock, especially when Small sounds so natural filling such a role.  Like the title cut, Daun’s drums have a dominant part to play, but the guitar riffs come hard enough throughout to be an equal match for them.  It’s also great to hear Small exploring the bass a little more, laying down a few very busy parts on occasion.  Very enjoyable, indeed.

‘Walk The Plank’ brings something a little more throwaway, as the band move from blues based material to something more akin to boogie-rock.  As expected, Small takes the change in pace in his stride, while the rest of the band also performs well.  The guitars have a crisp tone while the drum lines are busy and slightly playful.  It could be said that the sense of fun here – and its overtly pirate-based nature – makes this track one of the less essential cuts, but the guitar playing and drumming help lend some weight throughout.  It’s certainly not bad by any stretch of the imagination.  Returning to a more serious mood, ‘Shine a Light’ doesn’t offer anything greatly different to much of the best material showcased throughout ‘Jamaica Inn’, but still manages to be a highlight thanks to a great chorus and some lovely lead guitar work (both electric and acoustic).  Those with decent speakers may enjoy the sense of warmth Small’s bass work brings to the number, occasionally breaking from rhythm work into more complex styles.

Aside from the material penned especially for this release, the disc is padded out with a couple of well-chosen cover tunes.  A faithful cover of Gamma’s 1980 track ‘Voyager’ allows Small to stretch his curly voice over a bluesy rock riff.  Musically, it may seem fairly standard fare for these particular musicians, but the combination of another truly effortless vocal and atmospheric guitar work makes Small and Carl Anthony Wright a winning team.  It’s a great track from the outset, but becomes a cut above once Wright gets to cut loose on a smart solo.  It’s wonderful to see Gamma getting some attention, instead of Ronnie Montrose’s much lauded eponymous band!  Boyz II Men’s worldwide smash ‘End of the Road’ may seem like a left-field choice, but with the soulful elements pushed farther toward a bluesy direction, like ‘Voyager’, it proves to be a great vehicle for both Small and Wright. Both musicians sound perfectly natural on their take of the well known track.

Given Lee Small’s past work, ‘Jamaica Inn’ always had the potential to be a good record, but it has surpassed expectations.  In short, as an album which features plenty of well-crafted tunes, for many classic rock fans, it should be one on the “must buy” list.

January 2012