Formed in 2019, only to be stymied by the pandemic, Ginger Wildheart & The Sinners (Neil Ivison, Nick Lyndon and Shane Dixon) sees Ginger indulging his passion for rootsy rock ‘n’ roll, in an unashamed love letter to the music of his youth. With influences ranging from AC/DC and The Stones to Creedence and The Band, the album’s myriad styles are tied together by Ginger’s unerring gift for vocal harmonies, and the result is one of the most joyful outings you’ll hear all year.
Kicking off with the old school rock ‘n’ roll of Wasted Times, a track built around a wired guitar riff, Ginger quickly demonstrates his infallible knack for crafting the most gorgeous melodies, even over a superficially simple backdrop. With an introspective lyric that ensures the listener will return to the track long after the first glow of the music has faded, it makes for a sparkling start to the album. Next up, Ginger’s love of AC/DC looms large over the dirty, bluesy riff that leads into That Smile, while a chorus of gargantuan proportions ensures audiences will be singing along in the pit for years to come. The Sinners, meanwhile, have Ginger’s back every step of the way, and the interplay between them is nothing short of joyous – Ginger asserted this was the music of friendship during the promotional trail for the album, and you can hear it very clearly here. Taking a left turn into country territory, Footprints In The Sand sees Neil Ivison take the mic for a track which, lyrically, has a nostalgic vibe, although the band keep the pace taut through its four-minute runtime. It’s followed by the countrified Later, Always which treads similar ground to The Meat Puppets, another band who successfully folded country into their own, heavier influences to create something uniquely theirs. The first half of the album concludes with a cover of Dirty Water by UK rock ‘n’ roll stalwarts Status Quo. One of those bands that everyone growing up on rock in the UK knew, regardless of whether they were a fan or not, Status Quo are an inalienable part of Ginger’s musical DNA, and the choice of track is inspired, fitting The Sinners’ established sound like a glove.
Opening the second half of the album with a firm kick in the pants, Work In Progress is a brilliant slab of American rock ‘n’ roll, complete with slide guitar and riffs that instantly evoke images of remote diners on the open road. Arguably the closest the album comes to The Wildhearts, for all the Americana thrown at it, it’s one of those tracks that you’ll find yourself singing at the most inappropriate of moments, and I can only advise you don’t play this album before attending a crucial appointment, because you will raise eyebrows. The folksy Breakout slows the pace, sounding for all the world like The Levellers kidnapped by The Band for a Last Waltz of their own. Another cover emerges next, in the form of Georgia Satellites’ Six Years Gone, a track that caught Ginger’s ear at Lemmy’s funeral, and which is played with no small amount of fire here. A bittersweet track, Not the Staying Kind is a song of love and loss, brilliantly realised and instantly relatable, and it also features a cracking lead. In contrast, closing track Code Of The Road is a manic, country pastiche that brings a smile to the lips. That said, for all that it feels throwaway, it has the most ridiculously addictive chorus, and damn if it doesn’t end up wedging itself in your brain for hours and bloody hours after the record has concluded.
As an artist, Ginger has long followed the blues ethos of bringing joy from darkness, and this self-titled debut album does exactly that. While the lyrics speak to the soul, it is impossible to have the album on for any length of time before the walls start shaking, the earth starts quaking and a smile breaks out across your features. It’s just one of those records, and it exudes a hope and positivity that is irresistible. Ginger has been responsible for countless classics over the years, but rarely has he sounded so utterly comfortable in his own skin, and in creating this album, he’s crafted something that will brighten even the darkest day. 9/10
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