This is album number two from this Philly based rock band, and it was released back in ’89. This is another band I thought would have done a lot better than they did. Whether it was the four year gap between first and second albums who knows, but I will say they deserved to be a lot bigger as they sure know how to write killer tunes.
Opener Ripcord is kick ass. A superb swing to the groove, and the hook and melody are to die for. Mississippi follows and that slow, slight funk vibe is killer, plus the production by Andy Johns is superb, it brings out all the dynamics of the music. Definitely my favourite track. Love the guitar intro to On The Line. A more laid back vibe, but the hook and chorus are huge. Another slow intro to In Time before, a very simple but effective chord progression drives the song along. The hook and chorus have that Southern feel to them. Side 1 closes out with the title track Four Winds. Another track with the southern country vibe, mainly due to the slide in background.
Side 2 opens up with Fever For Gold and I’ve just twigged that Bill Mattson’s vocals remind me of Ricky Medlocke, another reason why those southern vibes are present. Southbound Train is a super slick aor melodic rocker with quite a slow main groove. The tempo is increased somewhat for Sweet Surrender, a four to the floor Friday night special. Bad Girl could be a Skynyrd tune as the vibe and feel are that close. The album closes out with Good Lovin’ a very classy melodic rocker with a great groove, and you’ll be humming the hook and chorus all day.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
