With the Rival Sons there’s always been the feeling that the band have no greater motivation than to play the most blistering take on Rock ‘n’ Roll imaginable. There’s simply no artifice with the band and, if you’ve ever seen them live, it’s impossible to come away from a Rival Sons gig without feeling as if you’ve been inducted into the same church from which Bon Scott legendarily sang “let there be rock!” Every Rival Sons fan has their own favourite album and they’ve all been good, but, for this writer, the band hit a peak with the astonishing ‘Head down’. However, all that is about to change because the Sons are back with ‘Hollow bones’, their fifth and second shortest album (beaten by the relentless ‘pressure and time’) at a mere, single-vinyl-filling, 37:06 long. A lean, concise blast, ‘Hollow Bones’ sees the band back, once again, with Dave Cobb (whose work has proved so successful with the likes of the Sons and the Glenn Hughes project California Breed) and, from the moment the opening track comes swaggering into view, it’s clear that the Sons are on a roll that arguably eclipses any of their former albums.
As with most Earache vinyl releases, great care has been taken on the package and, despite being a single disc, it is still packaged in a handsome gatefold sleeve that shows off Martin Wittfoofth’s amazing artwork to its fullest advantage. Pressed in a variety of colours, ours is on translucent silver and, as we’ve come to expect form Earache, it’s a near-flawless pressing that keeps pops and crackles to a minimum. Better still, as the package came direct from Earache, the vinyl was left out of the sleeve, meaning that our copy arrived in pristine condition.
It’s quite a statement of intent to open an album with part one of a multi-part title track, and as Jay sings “you’ll pick your teeth back off of the floor” you can’t help but feel he’s singing about you, the poor blindsided listener, as the power of the music threatens to knock you clean off your feet. This is rock ‘n’ roll as it should be, but just as you settle into the familiar sons’ groove, a totally immense, abstract centrepiece kicks into gear which sees drummer Michael Miley ably showing off his skills. Those skills also come in handy on the opening bars of ‘Tied up’, a more relaxed piece of music that sounds like Echo and the Bunnymen channelling The Doors (hey, wait, didn’t they already do that on ‘The Lost Boys’ soundtrack??). The energy levels soar straight into the red once again on the soundboard-destroying ‘Thunderous voices’, a track which juxtaposes a monstrous verse in which Jay falls to his knees, the spirit of Chuck Berry roaring through him, with a soulful chorus that ripples gently in the sweet summer breeze. Keeping the pace moving briskly along, ‘Baby boy’ sees the gnarled riffs of Scott Holiday layered in reverb as Jay adopts a more bluesy tone that recalls Joe Bonamassa in places. The first side of the album concludes with ‘Pretty Face’, a soulful number that is pure Smokey Robinson.
The second half of the record kicks off with ‘Fade out’, a track that opens upon a huge riff that vanishes into the ether in a manner that is pure Jeff Buckley – drama and then soulful beauty in the same moment – and its theatricality is the perfect opening song for the second side, whilst the blistering solo that concludes the song is a thing of beauty. The ever-present Tina Turner inspiration is explicitly acknowledged next with a rollicking cover of ‘Black coffee’ that captures the essence of Tina’s soul-drenched original and supercharges it with a swagger last heard on Aerosmith’s Beatle-hobbling ‘Come together’. The title track returns next in a haze of synth and echoing guitar and, after the ecstasy-inducing whiteout of ‘black coffee’, it’s a moment to draw breath before the album concludes. Whilst the whole band shine here, it’s Scott’s show as he delivers a performance on the guitar that is sublime, shifting effortlessly from progressive, Gilmour-esque solos to blistering, hard blues riffs with ease. The album draws, all too quickly, to its conclusion with ‘All that I want’, a sweet, acoustic lament bolstered with subtle strings and slide guitar, that leaves the listener wanting only to flip the disc and take the trip over again.
Rival Sons have remained remarkably consistent since second album ‘Pressure and Time’ saw them blaze their way onto grand stages all across Europe. The lengthy ‘Head down’ was long my favourite album thanks in part to the powerful epic ‘Manifest Destiny’, and whilst ‘Great Western Valkyrie’ was a fine album indeed, it lacked some of the immediacy that was present in the short, punchy ‘pressure and time’. Here, however, Rival Sons have refined their formula once again and the result is a record that never once lets the listener go. The band are on fire from the get go, whether it be Dave Beste’s rumbling bass runs, Michael Miley’s thunderous performance on drums, Scott Holiday’s astonishing guitar work or Jay Buchanan’s rock ‘n’ roll preacher, and the results are, quite frankly, astonishing. Scott has never played better, and his solos on this album are often fluid and graceful, and occasionally blistering and belligerent. Rarely do covers stand out, but the cover of ‘black coffee’ makes perfect sense and the band truly make it their own, capturing the soulful power of Tina Turner’s delivery perfectly. Short, potent and memorable, ‘hollow bones’ is Rival Sons most accomplished work to date and vinyl feels like its natural home – this is a classic record in every sense.
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