Artist: King King
Album: Reaching For The Light
Bitrate: 258kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Manhaton Records
Genre: Rock
Size: 85.56 megs
PlayTime: 0h 43min 55sec total
Rip Date: 2015-05-11
Store Date: 2015-05-08
Track List:
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01. Hurricane 3:09
02. You Stopped The Rain 4:11
03. Waking Up 5:37
04. Rush Hour 5:17
05. Crazy 4:34
06. Lay With Me 4:15
07. Just A Little Lie 4:16
08. Take A Look 6:18
09. Stranger To Love 6:18
Release Notes:
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A short, rapid fire drum intro, a bluesy guitar riff quickly twinned with the
accompanying bass line and throaty organ backing loudly and clearly declare that
King King are back and firing on all four cylinders, Alan Nimmo declaring "you
hit me hard like a hurricane!" in a big ænÆ beefy three-minute slice of
high-tempo, melodic blues rockinÆ energy.
Singer and guitarist Alan NimmoÆs comments that Reaching For the Light is
"faster, louderà more exciting" than what has come before is accurate in terms
of the energy that radiates off the album and its nine tracks but the King King
front manÆs words only tell you half the story.
On Reaching For the Light multiple blues award winners King King have stretched
further than before, naturally progressing and extending from their feisty debut
release Take My Hand and the slightly mellower but stronger follow-up Standing
in the Shadows.
While the hard hitting blues rock of album opener 'Hurricane' and the
heavyweight punch of 'Crazy' (which carries a distinct 70Æs rock grit and
appeal) are in line with the "louder" and "exciting" comments, Reaching For the
Light has added more shades of blues to the bandÆs musical palette.
Songs that successfully and confidently cross musical boundaries include the
rhythmic soul-blues groove of 'Waking Up,' the edgier funkified feel given to
Paul CarracksÆs pop-swing number 'Just a Little Lie' and the AOR blues of 'You
Stopped the Rain,' the latter's lyrics written a few years ago by Alan Nimmo
when his brother Stevie (the other half of the painfully under-appreciated Nimmo
Brothers) had throat cancer.
All three numbers have bags of melodically infused commercial appeal and in a
cookie-cutter free musical world would be staples of mainstream radio playlists.
'Rush Hour,' the lyrics for which were written by Alan Nimmo when he was 16, has
been worked up, finished off and presented as a fabulous piece of old school,
soulful heavy blues rock, topped off by a passionate and perfectly phrased vocal
from Nimmo.
If the late and great Scottish vocalist Jimmy Dewar had given Paul Rodgers a day
off and guested with Free or Bad Company back in the day (all major influences
on a teenage Alan Nimmo) it would have sounded much like this. But it wouldnÆt
have sounded much better than this, either.
'Lay With Me' may not carry the same message or melody as the Curtis Mayfield
penned 'People Get Ready' (one of the greatest ever pop standards) but it
carries the same Gospel tinged vibe and charm as it builds from its piano led
arrangement. The song features another great vocal from Alan Nimmo and some
wonderful, vibrato filled organ remarks from Bob Fridzema.
In terms of overall sound and musical chemistry, itÆs hard to overstate just how
much Fridzema (who replaced Bennett Holland shortly after the release of
Standing in the Shadows) brings to King King û and when you have the guitar
talents of Alan Nimmo backed by one of the best rhythm sections in the blues
business courtesy of Lindsay Coulson and noted groove drummer Wayne Proctor,
itÆs not hard to see or hear why this is the best British blues rock band
currently performing and recording.
Closing out Reaching For the Light are the atmospheric, power-ballad blues 'Take
a Look' and album tour de force 'Stranger to Love.'
A pulsating and powerful piece of slow blues rock, 'Stranger to Love' flexes
very strong muscles in the live set and on Reaching For the Light makes for an
excellent closing number û Lindsay Coulson and Wayne Proctor's sultry rhythm
underpinning the rise and fall of a song that features big chorus vocals and a
softer spray of melodic guitar notes over the brooding middle section.
In terms of a musical statement, 'Stranger to Love' is nothing less than 21st
century blues rock's 'Mistreated;' quite apt considering British blues and
British blues rock is currently enjoying a Purple Patch.
A major part of that resurgence is down to the next generation of blues rock
guitar-slingers such as Joanne Shaw Taylor, Ben Poole and Laurence Jones, to
name but three.
All three are undeniable talents with some outstanding albums already under
their blues belts, and each is more than capable of putting themselves in line
for the King King crown.
But, much like wee Lizzie over at Buck Towers, the band arenÆt showing any signs
of abdicating just yet, or resting on their award winning laurels.
In fact quite the opposite.
Because Reaching For the Light is the best blues rock album youÆll hear this
year û and one of the best of the modern blues rock era.