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Life is hard. It really is hard. And just when you think there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon, something unexpected comes along (usually in a manila envelope with the letters HMRC emblazoned across the front) and pulls the rug out from under your feet. But, sometimes on occasion, life can be good. VAR doesn’t rule the goal offside; you leave the garage with a fresh MOT in your pocket (or in modern-day terms, you have an online certificate); and upon closer inspection – rather than your order being short – you discover that for whatever reason, the dude at the drive-through window at KFC has taken pity on you and stuck 4 extra portions of fries in your grease-sodden paper bag. ‘More Cheese Please’, the debut album from Sam Millar (Wigan’s most-famous son since Limahl), lives in the euphoria of all of the small wins mentioned above, especially the extra portions of fries – but with an extra tub of gravy thrown in for good measure. In short, it celebrates the good days rather than dwelling on the tough days.
Best known for his time as lead guitarist in the much-missed Wigan NWOCR outfit Bigfoot, Sam Millar managed to make the surreal times of the first lockdown in 2020 more manageable with the release of his debut solo EP ‘Radio Gouda’. Raw in the way that all DIY projects should be, ‘Radio Gouda’ was great fun and showcased the likeable guitarist’s love of 80s guitar-driven melodic rock/AOR. And now, three years later, Sam has gone one step further and popped his cherry, solo album-wise. Like ‘Radio Gouda’, ‘More Cheese Please’ is a one-man show with all songs written, performed, produced, and mixed by Sam himself. And like the debut EP, the debut full-length album contains lashings of 80s-fuelled melodic pop-rock overflowing with all the tropes of that era; including poppy hooks by the bucketload, big choruses, keyboards very much of the time, and cheese. Lots of cheese.
A guitarist who also sings a bit, rather than a singer who plays some guitar on the side, Millar knows his limitations as a vocalist and sensibly doesn’t overreach or try and hit some Myles Kennedy-like high vocals. And herein lies the charm of ‘More Cheese Please’. Any shortcomings vocal-wise are eclipsed by the sheer scale of joie de vivre that Sam packs into the 11 tracks featured on the album. It has an ‘underdog’ spirit running throughout it and instantly the listener is on Sam’s side. ‘The Killing Floor’ is a fantastic, catchy opening track (loving the crunchy power chords that sound massive, as well as the thick basslines) and really sets the tone for what follows. It also highlights a keen ear from Sam; especially at 02:44 minutes in when he pauses for the perfect amount of time before crashing back in with a killer guitar solo. ‘Fooling Yourself’ is pretty damn cool and is only a few degrees of separation from a Tobias Forge anthem in all but name, easy to imagine Forge in Papa Emeritus corpsepaint strutting his stuff in front of a chorus-line of Ghoulettes for a big-budget Ghost video set in the hills of L.A. with Sam sitting back counting all his songwriting royalties.
‘When The Summer Ends’ is another highlight, with lighter-than-light tones throughout the end result being a track that out-Toto’s Toto whereas ‘Dancing On My Own’ out-Hall & Oates’s Hall & Oates. The breezy and utterly charming ‘Chardonnay’ could easily feature in a montage scene in the ‘Barbie’ movie, and as bizarre as that might sound Sam does have the knack of coming up with some stellar pop rock that on occasion leans more towards the pop side. Nowt wrong with that if it is done properly, as it is in this case. ‘Forget You’ is class. Glam-meets-Thin Lizzy all wrapped up in 12″ platform heels and somewhat spookily this album landed a few weeks prior to the anniversary of the death of a bonafide Glam legend: Marc Bolan. The electronic pulsing ‘Deja Vu’ highlights that Sam is not afraid to mix it up and take some risks here and there, and as it does in the poppier moments; it works.
Ending on the uplifting ‘Meet Me Halfway’, ‘More Cheese Please’ is proof if needed that a little cheese now and then is good for the heart and soul. Forty+ minutes that provide a welcome break from the white noise of the outside world.
Pick up ‘More Cheese Please’ here.
Review – Dave
Photo credit – Frank Clarke
