Voodoo Vegas: The Rise Of Jimmy Silver

It's funny how some bands can lean heavily on their influences and still sound vibrant and fresh, while others limp along like tired retreads. Thankfully Voodoo Vegas, who despite their name actually hail from Bournemouth, England fall firmly into the former category, mining a Guns n' Roses sound to great effect. Admittedly you can also add in a slice of Aerosmith, or a hit of Skid Row, as well as a whole host of the Arena bands of yesteryear and yet, as alluded to, what this bunch come up with sounds very far from simply laying down at the feet of their musical forefathers.

Singer Lawrence Case is a great find, his Americanised inflection spot on for this pouting, strutting, microphone stand twirling fare, his guitar buddies, Nick Brown and Meryl Hamilton matching him with equal fervour and conviction. There's the odd occasion where Case's gritty drawl kind of loses his "chosen" accent, and when he tries to add a bit of a Spike (Quireboys) rasp, the effect is more head-cold, than rock-n-rolled, however the slips are minimal and completely forgivable. Bassist Ash Moulton and drummer Matt Jolly bring just the right amount of sneering attitude and Case also adds the odd sideways swipe of harmonica to change the mood. While the clever little touches, such as the female backing vocals in "Ferry Song" suggest a band who have a clear direction of where they're headed and it sure ain't middle of the road.

"King Without A Crown" is an upbeat rush of intent, a surging burst of guitars punctuated by smashes of cymbals and snare cracks, "No More" broods on a throb of bass, quaking enough to cause aftershocks on the other side of the Atlantic. All the while Case is smashing into earshot, mixing a gritty low end with a sharp, throaty howl. Yes you could claim you heard it all before and yes if you stepped out of your DeLorean onto 80s Sunset Strip you'd be right, but then, that's a compliment.

"What I Pay" alludes to the sort of Bluesy acoustic shuffling Aerosmith used to do so well, while "Mary Jane" must have Slash searching through his box of unfinished ideas, to see if the double V have plundered the section marked Appetite For Destruction. Factor in the thump and grind of "So Unkind" (admittedly one of Case's less impressive vocal outings) and you might just be in the middle of an early Motley Crue/Faster Pussycat fistfight, although "Jimmy Silver" simply jumps aboard the rocket queen to steam the album to a thunderous conclusion.

Yes Voodoo Vegas are letting you know exactly what their favourite era of music is and yes they're obviously utterly delirious to do so. When it's this good, who cares? Not me, I'm too busy shimmying my hips and tying a bandanna round my noggin', like it's 1987!

Track Listing
1. Intro
2. King Without A Crown
3. Bullet
4. No More
5. What I Pay
6. Interlude
7. Mary Jane
8. Ferry Song
9. Lost In Confusion
10. So Unkind
11. Jimmy Silver

Added: November 22nd 2014
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Voodoo Vegas online
Hits: 1761
Language: english

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