THE GROOVEMAN'S COLLECTION

REVIEWS FROM MY VINYL COLLECTION

Tag: rival sons

RIVAL SONS – Darkfighter

November 14, 2023 /

This is album number eight for these Southern California kings of the retro groove. I think Rival Sons and The Black Keys are the trailblazers, because they have their own sound. You can listen to all the other retro bands around at the minute and they all sound very similar.

I love it when the band dive deep into that heavy R’n’B vibe, and Nobody Wants To Die does just that. It’s an absolute monster of a tune and is my favourite on the album. Bird In The Hand goes further back with some heavy psych pop grooves, and that melody vocal line is so cool. Bright Lights roots are firmly in the blues, but there is so much more going on here. Jay Buchanan’s vocals are just superb, with a hint of gospel in there. Rival Sons are a band that cross genres and there is a great mix of music lovers at their shows, and you can see why when you listen to Darkside. It’s got a singer songwriter vibe, mixed with their natural groovy goodness, and is just irresistible.

They are truly a one off band .

9/10 from The Grooveman.

RIVAL SONS – Before The Fire

November 8, 2022 /

This is a reissue of the band’s self-financed debut from 2009. Dirty fuzzed up rock n’ roll – I don’t usually associate these type of grooves coming from California.

Tell Me Something is tipping the hat to Zeppelin, especially the guitar and drum sound. Lucky Girl has a killer riff and groove, and I love the hook and verse melody. I love the intro to Memphis Sun and we are in deep blues territory, maybe with a little Keef thrown in as well. I love the riff and the vocals are killer. Angel takes an even deeper turn into the blues, but with a heavy Zeppelin influence as well. Pocketful Of Stones has a riff that sounds slightly out of tune, coupled with that heavy Bonham drum groove. Side 1 closes out with the beautiful The Man Who Wasn’t There; just minimal instrumentation and a superb vocal until the very Beatles section.

Pleasant Return has a killer fuzzed up intro with a heavy psych vibe to the whole tune. On My Way has a heavy Americana vibe, with a hint of Seattle, and a bass line a lot of you will be familiar with. A superb, killer, groovy opening to I Want More, which tips the hat to many tunes that have gone before and reminds me of so many but keeps its originality and is my favourite tune on the record. Flames Of Lanka is the big number of the album and it starts really weird as though we have been transported back to the late 60’s with that whole psych vibe. The album closes out with Nanda-Nandana, a very grooved up psychfest. Great band that have really grown with each record and don’t sound much like this anymore.

8.5/10 from The Grooveman.

RIVAL SONS – Feral Roots

March 26, 2022 /

It’s hard to believe it, but these original retro rockers released their first album in 2009, and this is album number six. They seem to hit the right spot between blues, rock, and groove for me that sets them above the rest of the copyists – and in Jay Buchanan they have one hell of a frontman with a great set of pipes.

The lead off track, Do Your Worst, was released as the first single and is a total banger. Sugar On The Bone has an old school blues swagger vibe with a killer vocal and really grooves along. The title track is an epic slow piece that reminds me of all the bands from the southern US in the seventies – it has such a great vibe. Too Bad is my favourite track on the record and one of their best – it has so much feeling and is such a powerful piece. Stood By Me has that Sticky Fingers feel with the groove and the vocal is epic. Imperial Joy is old school rocked up R&B. The big surprise for me on the album is The End Of Forever with the electronic intro before the most monster of riffs takes over. This track really swings. This band just get better and better.

9.5/10 from The Grooveman.

RIVAL SONS – Hollow Bones

February 15, 2021 /

Way before Greta Van Scrote appeared from nowhere with their Led Zep plagiarism, Rival Sons had been doing the retro vibe since 2008. This is their 5th studio album, and sees them exploring more sounds from days gone by, but with a modern edge.

The title track is a great opening, with its 60’s vibe leading into the killer Tied Up, which has an almost soul vibe mixed in with their unique rock stylings. Lots of use of the fuzz pedal gives the feeling as though we are in 1970 as the intro to Thundering Voices kicks in. Have to mention the great production by Dave Cobb that really brings out the all the nuances in the songs. Baby Boy has a serious blues vibe with an awesome vocal from Jay Buchanan. Side closer Pretty Face should have been a single, as the chorus is a total earworm.

Flipping over onto Side 2, Fade Out announces its arrival with a killer vocal and a true power ballad vibe with some great slide playing and a big rock ending. The Ike and Tina Turner classic Black Coffee is next, and was released as a single – you need some very large plums to be able to carry that off. Have to say it’s a great cover and a vocal that does justice to the original. Hollow Bones Pt2 is next, and is my favourite on the album. Love the intro with the spacey guitar and quiet vocal, which blows into the big riff and with echoes of Zeppelin alive on this one. The album comes to an end with All That I Want with an acoustic piece which showcases how amazing Jay Buchanan’s voice is. His vibrato reminds me of Beth Hart.

What a great record that was! They remind you of everybody and yet nobody, as they borrow from the past but make it their own.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

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