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Aerosmith’s Joe Perry famously said that listening to Deep Purple’s ‘Highway Star’ was like that first shot of coffee in the morning. Pure adrenaline. A mantra former Biters frontman Tuk Smith seems to have adopted with the debut album from his new vehicle Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts. Opening (and title) track ‘Ballad of A Misspent Youth’ comes flying out of the traps with a size-thirteen Glam-filled stomp that begs for the volume control to be turned skyward and the pedal on the right to be floored as the driver furiously beats out the stomp mentioned above on the steering wheel. No hanging around, no breaking the listener in gently; adrenaline from the first note never lets up until the last strains of closing track ‘Forgive But Won’t Forget’ thirty minutes later.
With legal issues from two separate record labels putting the breaks on Tuk’s output over the last four years, and a heartbreaking consequence of the worldwide lockdown being that Tuk missed out on the opening slot of the much-lauded Def Leppard/Mötley Crüe US stadium tour, it would have been easy for the hugely-likable Tuk to throw the towel in. But the born-rock n roller from Atlanta (now based in Nashville) is made of sterner stuff, and finally, his new material sees the light of day. And it certainly has been worth the wait.
Originally planned as a six-track EP created during the lockdown, ‘Ballad of A Misspent Youth’ has been bulked out with two further tracks recorded once Tuk teamed up with Aerosmith songwriter and co-producer Marti Frederiksen on his new label MRG. And that’s one of the most vital points about the album; in the days of thirteen and fourteen-track-long albums, the listener doesn’t have time to get bored with this one. Another vital point is the strength of the songs featured within. A songwriter very much in the same poetic storyteller vein as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Ian Hunter, and Phil Lynott, Tuk excels when he is telling stories, and he sets his stall out early with the fists-in-the-air title track and then changes it up with the Thin Lizzy-inspired ‘Girls On The East Side Of Town’ which simply put; makes me want to dance. The guitars and killer melodies sing out on this one and Tuk wears his love for Phil Lynott firmly on his sleeve, with the end result being a joyous three minutes full of cinematic imagery and escapism about messing with girls from the wrong side of the tracks. The cautionary tale of trying to make it in the music business, ‘Ain’t For The Faint’, makes a dash for the tape in the race for standout moment on the album, the crunching guitar riffs pack a Keith Richards-like swagger and the lighter-than-light vocals around the minute-mark linger on long after the song fades out.
The latter stages of the album begin with the piano-led ‘Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead’ which gradually grows into this masterclass of storytelling through song, and just when you think that you have it sussed out, the song takes a twist down a different route and the neck hairs stand on end. ‘Shadow On The Street’ is balls-to-the-wall AC/DC with a transatlantic twang and huge, uplifting choruses that are kinda impossible to resist. The Springsteen connection kicks in on ‘Say Goodbye’ which lands with a gorgeous Roy Bittan-like piano sound (which continues in the background throughout) before settling into a gorgeous call-to-arms that lets you know that no matter what, it’s all going to be alright. Thanks to a pulsating drum beat (and catchy-as-hell vocals) melodic rock-tinged ‘Lovesick City’ will become a definite fans favourite when played live, tailor-made for audience participation – it gets better with each listen, and is pretty damn instant. Ending on a slight tip of the hat to Tom Petty with ‘Forgive But Won’t Forget’, ‘Ballad of A Misspent Youth’ is a triumph from start to finish. Welcome back Tuk Smith, we’ve missed you.
Stream the album here.
More from Tuk Smith, here.
Review – Dave
