Reviews roundup – Hion Martell vs. Little Mike & The Tornadoes vs. Moore Street Band vs. Dan Savik

Reviews roundup – Hion Martell vs. Little Mike & The Tornadoes vs. Moore Street Band vs. Dan Savik

HION MARTELL
No More Hard Times
Viskningar och vrål

Wham, bam, thank you ma’am, three minutes rock and roll, over and out.  As it should be.  This single is out in advance of the upcoming album ”Riffs In A Box”, due in September, and if you like things a wee bit Quo and a wee bit Stones, then this is very much your thing.  One for the seventies rock fans.

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LITTLE MIKE & THE TORNADOES
All The Right Moves
Elrob

We like Little Mike & The Tornadoes.  Proper Chicago blues, that is, learned back in the day when they toured with the likes of Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins and Jimmy Rogers.

Their most recent release, “Forgive Me” contained old tunes resurrected, but with Little Mike now reunited with original Tornadoes, Brad Vickers (bass), Rob Piazza (drums), and Tony O. Melio (guitar), along with new kid(!) on the block, pianist Jim McKaba, they’ve banged together a cracking all new release in “All The Right Moves”.

Age has not withered them as the blast through some cracking tunes, with ‘I Got Drunk Last Night’, Since My Mother’s Been Ill’ and ‘The Blues Is Killing Me’ as good as anything they’ve put their name to.  With Mike honking his horn in time honoured style, this is the blues the way I like it.  Hot and righteous.

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MOORE STREET BAND
A Girl Like Her
self released

We rather enjoyed the EP from the Moore Street Band that came out a couple of years back.  They were mixing up seventies rock, country rock and west coast rock, with some rather splendid harmony vocals, and now they’ve gone and released a full album.

In case you weren’t paying attention at the back, Norm Mezey, Ken Tsuchiyama, and Tony Chiarchiaro were in a college band called Heritage who performed in the Los Angeles area for years, but life came a-knocking and they split up, until time and chance brought them back together, as the Moore Street Band, bringing in lead guitarist Ed Krzyzaniak to fill things out.

And it’s still good, even spread out over a whole album, albeit one that is seven songs long, with some sweet keyboard touches, excellent arrangements, some nods to the Byrds and the Eagles, along with a smattering of excellent songs, such as ‘Bye Bye Baby’ and ‘Vital Signs’.

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DAN SAVIK
Heading West
self released

Lastly, for today, we’re off to Sweden, and rather neatly following on from the Moore Street Band, we have an album of West Coast rock from Mr Dan Savik.  His particular take brings in soft rock and adult contemporary for a smooth, melodic album, which sees him utilising the talents of some great musicians including drummer Per Lindvall (ABBA, Steve Wonder, Kylie Minogue etc.) and guitarist Peter Friestedt (who made a superb album with Joseph Williams of Toto).

And it’s an absolute wet dream for people who like to roll their jacket sleeves up and think back to the glory days of Peter Cetera, Toto and Van Stephenson.  There are eight new tracks, along with his previous single, which saw him covering David Foster’s ‘The Best of Me’ and the Everly Brothers’ ‘Let It Be Me’. The new songs were actually recorded a couple of years back, but they’re only just reaching a wider audience now.

He’s got a very listenable, soulful voice, and with the superb accompaniment boosting tuneful songs like ‘Closer’, ‘Highway Song’ and ‘Wonder Night’, this is a real treat.  Don’t come here looking for anything rough and ready, with guitars maxed out and big riffs.  But if you like it soft and smooth, then you’ll want to be here.

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