Hot n' heavy soul-rock revivalist troublemakers
Halla-frickin'-lujah! The most eagerly anticipated blues release of the year is here. Hot on the heels of sweat-drenched debut single 'Nancy Lee' comes "The Bomb Shelter Sessions". They may only have been around for a year, but these are no mere kids. Vintage Trouble, blues-culture soaked right down to their name, have been music journeymen for some time, with frontman Ty Taylor having a successful career in musical theatre. Seriously. Fear not, there's no hint of it here in anything other than the professionalism, and there's no sense of hype or ego either.
This Los Angeles quartet hit the stage suited and booted, and proceed to tear the place up night after night. They lose none of that fire and energy in the recording. Ok, so it's nothing new, but that's hardly the point. Point is, they do it better. Half tight rockin' blues riffs and hammering beats, half soulful honey-dripping balldeering, it's the best bits of five decades worth of blues records distilled down into a hip-shaking, almost spiritual experience. 'Still and Always Will' could have come straight out of the sixties or seventies classics, the riff is too good to be true. Any accusations of being contrived or lacking 'authenticity' can be blasted away with one play of 'Total Strangers or livewire 'Blues Hand Me Down'.
Taylor's honey-to-gravel soul vocals are an immediate focal point. He makes it sound effortless whilst wringing every drop of emotion out of tracks like 'Gracefully' and slow-burner 'Run Outta You'. Minor criticism: there are more ballads than strictly necessary on here and at times you're waiting for it to cut loose and lift off. Musically, not a note is wasted. Guitarist Nalle Colt nails the grit and passion of each song perfectly, whilst drummer Richard Danielson and bassist Rick Barrio Dill hold down beats laden with sultry heaviness. This is a record bursting with passion, charisma, and character. There's something for vintage listeners and newcomers to the genre. Perfect it ain't, but it's essential listening.