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Another week, another hot batch of singles and EPs fresh out of the oven. A mixture of established names and some artists starting on their journey, all worthy of your attention, regardless of placement in the pecking order. Click on the artist’s name in bold, and follow the link to the respective social media pages.
With a previous background in doom/stoner rock, Siân Greenway has gone in the polar opposite direction with her new musical persona; Bobbie Dazzle. As the name would suggest, Bobbie Dazzle is larger than life, 1970s-inspired glam rock with lashings of fun and a side of prog flute. And people are starting to take notice. Debut album ‘Fandabidozi’ does exactly what it says on the tin and struck a chord with many, which has led to festival appearances as well as supporting slots with Alice Cooper, and later this year, with Greenway’s beloved glam legends, The Sweet. Savvy enough to know that 2 large shows with Alice Cooper will bring attention, Bobbie Dazzle has a new single to enthuse over: ‘Spotlight’. With a tip of the hat to the Bee Gees classic ‘Jive Talkin” on the intro (that wacka-wacka guitar tone on the 1975 disco classic has inspired so many, conscious, or not), and a Bobby Womack ‘Across 110th Street’ pulse throughout, ‘Spotlight’ sparkles at every turn. Add the ABBA-esque feel to the vocals, and the result is a track that is so infectious that it causes outbreaks of shit dancing after one spin. Throw in a flute solo from Greenway, and we are hooked.
CM13 sees ‘Lil Charlie Moffat of Glasgow’s Swamp Born Assassins branch out on his own to deliver music that perhaps falls out of the remit of The Swamps. Alongside fellow Glasgow musician Tony McShane, Charlie has created the debut single from a project that will hopefully gather a head of steam and continue to make music. ‘The Fine Line’ has Charlie singing in a lower register than usual, and with more of a progressive/grungey feel than you might expect, it certainly features the vocalist/harmonica player stepping out of his comfort zone. Deeply personal and poignant, ‘The Fine Line’ was written to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of Charlie’s late wife Elaine, who sadly lost her battle with cancer a few years back. A real grower of a track, it has a handful of hooks with an uncanny knack of lingering on long after the song fades out. And it has a harmonica solo, which is nice. Find out how to donate on Charlie’s Just Giving page, HERE.
Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and musician Brent Cobb (not to be confused with his uber-producer cousin, Dave Cobb) and his band The Fixin’s straddle that too country for rock/too rock for country fence with ease. Devoid of that annoying yarling habit that blights modern country music (looking at the guys here, not the gals), Cobb’s easy-on-the-ears voice is as welcoming as a roaring fire on a cold day. Although the classic Southern influence is prominent (especially on the guitar work), there are also hints of a soul-influenced background, with effortlessly clear vocals that mix Ronnie Van Zant’s streetfighting grit with the smoothness of Al Green. Cobb certainly stands out from the pack, and new single ‘Bad Feelin” is so laidback that it glides rather than walks. Much of it will be familiar to anyone who grew up on Skynyrd, Gram Parsons, Neil Young, and even the Eagles, but is that a bad thing? Hell, no. Everybody needs to get mellow now and then, and Cobb and his compadres can scratch that itch for you.
What a summer it has been already for Halestorm. Stadiums and enormo-domes with Maiden, Villa Park with Sabbath/Ozzy, and a livestream seen by a gazillion new fans. It doesn’t get much better than that. Playing a new track when you only have a 15-minute slot to impress might seem risky, but when said new track is the new single ‘Rain Your Blood On Me’, then it all makes sense. With an old-school 80s metal vibe (Dio, Priest, Maiden, etc), ‘Rain Your Blood On Me’ was perfect for an older audience who might not normally have given Halestorm the time of day, but thanks to this ‘lil crusher (and Lzzy Hale putting down a marker), the “they don’t make bands like they used to” brigade most certainly now have Halestorm in their sights. The intro seems to have been cooked up right there and then in rehearsals, and soon gives way to a Vinny Appice-sized stomp from Arejay Hale, who constantly impresses throughout, especially on the upturn in tempo midsong. And then there are Joe Hottinger’s explosive riffs; oh my, oh my, my, my. Hottinger is fast becoming a guitar hero in the making. You could fill several volumes of books about the prowess of Lzzy Hale, and here she sounds as enthused and powerful as ever. Halestorm’s imminent new album, ‘Everest’, needs to be special, and on the evidence of the singles released thus far, it is shaping up to be just that.
Everybody’s favourite Texan, Ryan Hamilton, has had to endure more heartbreak in the last few years than anyone should have to face in a lifetime, but the tenacious fella is thankfully back doing what he was put on this earth to do: make music. ‘Godspeed’ is Hamilton’s first new music in what seems like an eternity, and as soon as it opens with his instantly recognisable tones, it is like he was never away. Produced by legendary UK knob-twiddler, Dave Draper, and arranged by Stevie Van Zandt (‘Godspeed’ is released on Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool Records), ‘Godspeed’ is a gorgeous slice of 90s-influenced jingly-jangly Americana-meets-indie-rock-n-roll with huge dollops of a British influence (Hamilton also has a weekly show on York’s 94.8FM Jorvik Radio). Perfect Summer listening material and not simply just for driving down Laurel Canyon, as it covers all bases with the British Invasion-influenced backing vocals, and there is even a glam-stomp feel here and there. Oh, it also has Random Jon Poole of The Wildhearts playing bass, which is worthy of the price of admission alone, but if you need more convincing to part with your hard-earned cash, then the 7″ B-side is Hamilton’s sublime take on AC/DC’s ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ – thankfully, Ryan Hamilton is back in the ring to take another swing.
GRAMMY® Award-nominated songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Wolfgang Van Halen is infuriating. Males of the species have been playing the “unable to multitask” card for centuries now, and generally, it works. Along comes Mr. Van Halen and his Mammoth project, where he writes all the songs and performs all the instrumentation and vocals himself, and the illusion comes crashing down. Goddam you, Sir. The flipside of that is, of course, that the target is solely on Wolfgang’s back. Nobody else to blame if the output sucks. Thankfully, anything released under the Mammoth name has yet to suck, and it looks like he will continue that run with the forthcoming new album ‘The End’. Current single ‘The Spell’ continues the purple patch of success that WVH has enjoyed since the Mammoth debut album landed in 2021. Less of a Foo Fighters vibe than some of the earlier material, it features some insane playing and huge, soaring melodies. The video also features the return of the multiple Wolfgangs, of which we like the Flying V Wolfgang the best.
Lindsay Schoolcraft has one of those voices that, if she sang you a tax demand, not only would you thank her, but you would also be willing to part with more cash. It makes sense then that on her long-awaited new single, ‘Lighthouse’, the ex-Cradle Of Filth keyboardist/backing vocalist would go with an alluring, siren theme. Gothic, dark, and ethereal all at the same time, it calls to the listener and snares them from the first moment. Known more for her musicianship than her vocals (Schoolcraft is a world-class harpist), the Canadian solo artist has gradually, over the years (pardon the water-related pun), dipped her toes into the murky waters of lead vocals, and her output has been exceptional (check out Lindsay’s Bandcamp page, HERE). 2018’s debut solo album, ‘Martyr’, is spellbinding, and ‘Lighthouse’ shows fantastic growth in every department. Having real guitars on the track, rather than plug-ins, is a major boost. Suffering in the name of art, the video for ‘Lighthouse’ features Schoolcraft lip-syncing underwater, which, if it were easy, then more artists would do it.
Rather than storing songs away for a full album, South Wales trio Sonny Jim are opting to release songs as they are ready, through a string of EPs, of which the latest is the three-track beauty known as ‘We Are Electric’. ‘Fake It Til We Make It’ kicks proceedings off with a delicious Billy Duffy-esque guitar tone from Sonny Jim Riffmeister-General Lloyd Jenkins, and if there is a better “undiscovered” vocalist on the British scene than SJ’s Jay Donagh, then who the hell is it? As is always the case with Sonny Jim, the hooks and melodies are bloody massive, and Donagh’s stuttering-like vocal refrains on the chorus, mixed with the layered backing vocals in the background, are catchy as hell. Proper earworm moments, and this continues on ‘Sleep Forever’, which keeps both feet firmly planted in Manics territory. A fantastic anthem for the summer festival season with oodles of sweet guitar tones, and a hypnotic percussive sound from Robbie Brewster that makes the breakdown effortlessly float on by. Also, loving the little jam at the end. Continuing with the variety that Sonny Jim are known for, ‘Don’t Wake The Dead’ ends the EP on a faster, angrier note with the immaculate Donagh spitting out the lyrics in an aggressive, raw and uncompromising manner. One of those tracks that will soon have you reaching to turn the volume dial skyward. Magic stuff. Heading to Firevolt Festival in Stockport in August? Don’t miss Sonny Jim on Sunday, the 10th.
