REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Day: April 28, 2022

CRAZY LIXX – Ruff Justice

Whereas most new rock bands coming out of North America are seeming to be very retro in their approach (like paying homage to Led Zeppelin amongst others), rock bands coming out of Scandinavia have the 80’s as their main focus, where big hair, riffs, and hooks are king.

This is actually the fifth album released by the band back in 2017. This album is a lot more polished and AOR sounding than their usual efforts. It still rocks on tracks like Hunter Of The Heart with its killer funky riff and vibe, and my favourite Kiss Of Judas, but the overall emphasis seems to be more Journey in style. This is a good album with an emphasis on the melodies, but if you want a more hard rockin’ Crazy Lixx, then I suggest their self titled first album or their new one, Street Lethal.

8/10 from The Grooveman.

VINTAGE TROUBLE – 1 Hopeful Rd.

This is not something I would usually dip my fingers into my wallet to part with the green and crinkly, but having witnessed them Live, I was totally blown away with their high energy blues/soul hybrid. You may think upon listening that they are from the Deep South, but nope, LA is their home.

The album opens with Run Like A River, and it’s a gospel blues tour de force with some killer slide playing. From My Arms is pure soul with just that hint of blues. Doin’ What You We’re Doin’ is more of the same with a slight funky groove and a really nice short tasty solo. Angel City California is pure old school guitar driven RnB. Shows What You Know is all about vocalist Ty Taylor with his smooth tones reminding me of Otis Redding.

I have a couple of favourites, the first being the slow blues of Before The Tear Drops, and the seriously up tempo groovy vibes of Another Baby. Make no mistake here, the band are all about the Live environment, and it’s near enough impossible to capture the live power of this band, by comparison, this is a very smooth sounding record.

8/10 from The Grooveman.