Moonshine, as their name clearly suggests, play ass-kicking, blues-infused southern rock which sounds like the unloved offspring of an unlikely orgy featuring Aerosmith, Guns ‘n’ Roses, The Allman brothers and <ahem> Jon Bon Jovi. The band’s self-titled, ten track album (out on Southern Blood Records) is the sound of a beer-fuelled recording session where the only rule is to cut loose, kick back and set the amplifers to eleven.
Opening with the perfect combination of liquid slide, gritty riffs and Derek Davis’ spirit-burnished vocals, Moonshine howls into being with ‘Mississippi Delta Blues’, a swaggering, nicotine stained product of too many hours spent listening to Muddy Waters records and Jimi Hendrix in a beer-stained basement. It’s rock ‘n’ roll with a rebel yell, recalling Aerosmith’s magnificent album ‘toys in the attic’ and imbuing it with a blistering southern edge that makes you want to leap from your chair and get moving. ‘Warm beer, catfish stew’ is a toe-tapping, harmonica-led blast of dusty blues with a sharp groove that is all but irresistible. The first sign that the band are willing to let up the pace and give the audience a breather is the melodic ‘the devil’s road’ which recalls the magic of Blind Mellon with its rich acoustic tones and Derek’s impassioned performance. It marks out the band as a talented, multi-faceted group of musicians and the album benefits from the change of dynamic, not to mention some well-rounded backing vocals. A cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s evergreen ‘Fortunate son’ shows that John Fogerty and co have lost none of their power to inspire over the years, and Moonshine do the classic tune full justice with their gritty portrayal – quite simply it takes the original, pumps it full of gasoline and illicit hooch and sends it spinning off into another universe. ‘The last song’ sees the album hit its halfway mark with a some memorably and rewarding guitar work (from Buzzy James and Craig DeFalco) whilst Mick Malone adds depth on the piano and Derek delivers a great vocal over the top. It’s a perfect end to a diverse and endlessly enjoyable first half.
The second half of the album kicks off in fine style with the high octane buzz of ‘Mama’s Kitchen brew’, a song that is guaranteed to leave you with an unhinged grin upon your face as Derek and co kick into the tune with a holler. The band make it all sound so effortless, as if writing great tunes is easy, and you just know that Moonshine would be amazing live, buried in some liquor-soaked dive as the crowd go wild about them. ‘Southern blood’, with Buzzy James’ awesome slide guitar, is distressingly insistent southern rock with more than a hint of Bon Jovi’s stadium-destroying ‘dead or alive’ about it as Derek takes on the role of a Billy The Kid-esque character for what must surely be the album’s highlight. ‘Turn me around’ sees the slide pushed to the fore once again (and with good reason), for a mid-tempo rocker that makes you want to leap from your chair with its blistering riffs and ecstatic chorus pitching somewhere between AC/DC and Black Label Society. It’s a complete joy to hear musicians letting loose in the studio with no agenda other than to make music they obviously love and it kicks ass all the more because of it. ‘Fade away’ sees the album drawing with alarming rapidity towards its close with a piano led ballad that is part G’n’R, part Elton John, the band shaking the dust from their spurred boots as they walk off into the sunset. As fine an ending as ‘fade away’ wold have made, you can’t keep good rockers down, and Moonshine end on a blistering high, the energetic ‘the American train’ which is harnessed to the sort of riff that Zakk Wylde gets hot and sweaty dreaming up in the depths of the night.
If you dig the southern rock then forget about Black Stone Cherry, as fine as they can be, and head over to Southern Blood Records to get yourself a slice of Moonshine. The album is an unequivocally enjoyable, powerful blast of pure rock ‘n’ roll spirit and you’ll undoubtedly spend the summer knocking back the beers in the company of this lil devil if the spirit of rock even tremors in your veins. A furiously energetic, full-blooded rock ‘n’ roll record, ‘Moonshine’ is a truly kick-ass record and one that is well worth checking out.
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