Released By: Blue Note Records
Release Date: 11 August 2015
Genre: Blues Rock
Links: Vintagetrouble.com , Facebook
Track listing:
01. Run Like The River
02. From My Arms
03. Doin’ What You Were Doin’
04. Angel City, California
05. Shows What You Know
06. My Heart Won’t Fall Again
07. Another Mans’ Words
08. Strike Your Light (feat. Kamilah Marshall)
09. Before The Tear Drops
10. If You Loved Me
11. Another Baby
12. Soul Serenity
For those of you not yet accustomed to the delights of Vintage Trouble, I’m sorry to say for the past four years you’ve been missing out on something monumentally unique. The best way to describe the band, well, imagine James Brown fronting Led Zeppelin, or better still, Sam Cooke belting out Rolling Stones classics – got the picture?
The Californian blues rockers left people open mouthed when 2011s’ debut, The Bomb Shelter Sessions, was released. Such was its impact, high profile support slots with the likes of Bon Jovi and The Who ensued. Now with 1 Hopeful Road, world domination will no doubt beckon. Opener, Run Like The River, positively backs that up. The meaty slabs of Southern slide entwined with the gospel pumped chorus ignites this record with some style. If From My Arms doesn’t assist you in getting your leg over, nothing will. Its seductive soulful vibes has all the moves to melt the butter off the most frigid of maidens.
Those enticing grooves carry on into Doin’ What You Were Doin, before the boogie fest of Angel City, California takes the temperature up several notches, with Colts Richards-esque riff immediately getting you off your seat. Don’t be surprised if you come over with an overwhelming urge to dance and clap like a Mississippi choir singer.
Although Vintage Troubles tag is predominately blues rock, their soul roots are laid bare all over this collection. Ty Taylor’s stunning performances on Shows What You Know and My Heart Won’t Fall Again are as heartfelt as your going to get. And it’s no exaggeration to say you feel like you’re alone with him as each soothing note is released. Everyone knows the impact that the likes of Marvin Gaye, Ottis Redding and Sam Cooke had on music. So I think I’m justified to say that Ty Taylor has enough in his armoury to eventually be mentioned in the same conversation as those legends.
Not one for hogging the limelight, Taylor gets a run for his money as Broadway songstress Kamilah Marshall is drafted in on Strike Your Light. Richard Danielson’s galloping drum intro opens the track that oozes Zep/Hendrix influences, but the input of Marshalls’ Aretha Franklin like tones gives the tune that extra bit of class.
Many may accuse Vintage Trouble of jumping on a retro bandwagon, but in truth retro only works when it’s performed with bona fide magic. Smoking hot blues numbers like Before The Tear Drops and If You Loved Me do just that and give a deeper insight into the bands DNA and genuine ethos. Signing off with the calming Soul Serenity, you can almost visualise the four guys with their feet up sitting out on the porch on a balmy summer night totally contented. A fitting end to a quite simply flawless record.
If you ever get the chance to see these guys in an intimate setting, for the love of god don’t hesitate, the day is fast approaching when Vintage Trouble become the hottest ticket in town.
Written by: Brian Boyle
Rating: Brian 10/10
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