Reviews roundup – Mollie Marriott vs. John McNamara vs. The Bad Flowers

Reviews roundup – Mollie Marriott vs. John McNamara vs. The Bad Flowers

MOLLIE MARRIOTT
Truth Is A Wolf
Amadeus

Well, it’s finally here. The debut album from Mollie Marriott, hot on the heels of the very enjoyable ‘Control’ single.

And if you heard that song then nothing here is going to take you by surprise. It’s rootsy seventies grounded pop / rock with a hint of soul, blues and country thrown into the pot. Something that is more than OK by me. It also helps that she has a really good voice, one well trained after a few years singing backing vocals for the likes of Oasis and Paul Weller, the latter of whom pops in for a visit with his guitar.

The single took us off down the American highways of the seventies and the album does seem like something from Over There rather than Over There with a good few tunes designed for an open top car and a desert highway. There are melodies galore to stick your teeth into and it’s understandable once you read the small print and see Judie Tzuke and Jim Stapley amongst the co writers. You won’t go far wrong with songs as strong as ‘Give Me A Reason’, ‘Fortunate Fate’ and ‘My Heaven Can Wait, although it’s the kind of music than has a hard job getting heard out in the mainstream.

It’s an excellent release for those looking for melodic, rootsy pop rock. Now all she needs is for that Jools Holland phone call and success will be there for the taking.

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JOHN McNAMARA
Rollin’ With It
Bahool

So do you like Sam & Dave crossed with Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland and some blues guitar? Of course you do, otherwise you’re an idiot. And that’s what John McNamara is serving up here.

Now he’s not that good but then who is. Regardless, this is still an excellent release for those who like their blues mixed up with soul. It’s from the mythical continent of Australasia and is the follow up to a 2014 debut album which was Very Well Received By People Who Know About This Sort Of Thing.

It’s a mixture of originals and covers and you can tell where he’s coming from and where he wants to be as the covers come from the world of Otis Redding, Little Willie John and the aforementioned Mr Bland. To capture the authentic sounds he was looking for he took himself off to Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee and recorded with some well respected musos.

And it works, especially when the brass enhanced groove gets to work and the backing vocals push things along. He sensibly kicks off with a couple of his own tunes and once you’ve had a blast of ‘One, Two Of A Kind,’ and ‘Bad Reputation’, you don’t really notice the join between his own songs and the covers. Which is as it should be. It’s a wee bit out of step with the modern blues world and is more likely to appeal to fans of classic soul. He has a strong voice and the backing is uniformly excellent. One for the Si Cranston / Eli “Paperboy” Reed crowd.

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THE BAD FLOWERS
Thunder Child
independent

We’re off to the Black Country to commune with The Bad Flowers. A name almost as bad as The Dead Daisies.

Fortunately, this single makes you forget all about their name, as they get on with the business of rocking and rolling. Tom Leighton, Karl Selickis and Dale Tonks are the gentlemen responsible and this is very enjoyable slap about the head, as they carry on their mission of taking seventies and eighties rock and making it fit for 21st century purpose.

They have a way with a riff and if they get a high profile support and some festivals under their belt, then they could have the beginnings of something special.

Me, I’d have called the band Thunder Child and written a song called ‘The Bad Flowers’.

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http://linda.hamilton.muchloved.com/
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