Super Vintage: Rock n' Roll For Your Soul

Beginning life as a Greek covers band, Hush N' Rush (great name for a covers band!) have changed their moniker to Super Vintage (a much better name for a real band) and teamed up with the kings of the groove, Grooveyard Records. Rock N' Roll For Your Soul is a twenty track dip into the band's past, their four releases of original material under the Hn'R name plundered to stunning effect, on what is a superb introduction to a band who have gone unheard too long.

With nary an accent in sight, Stavros Papadopoulos is the first shock, his gritty, gravely voice the archetypal focal point for the bluesy, Southern rock this band have mastered. His guitar work is also sparklingly authentic, and alongside Panagiotis Zabourlis the pair whip up all manner of earth rocking storms. Fierce funky funsters abound as great-time grooves attack from all sides and a bluesy strut swaggers into view, before meting out hefty blows of rock. Seriously a band from Greece have absolutely no rhyme or reason to be this damn legit, or down right impressive. Something the mid paced thump of "Until Tomorrow", the insistently sassy "Free Me", or proud strut of "Water In A Foreign Land" undoubtedly are.

Now, the Grooveyard may be all about the guitar (and rightly so!) however there's no denying that the Super Vintage rhythm section are right at the heart of what makes this collection quite as intoxicating as it is. Whether they're driving a song on with power and verve, setting the tempo by boiling and bubbling with intent, or nestling neatly behind the beat to keep the vibe smooth and easy, bassist Panos Karathanasis and drummer Lazaros Simitsis really are integral to the success of this excellent album.

The three closing 'bonus tracks' are all acoustic, and oddly they reveal a slightly more 80s outlook than the classic 70s style the main body of songs present. However, as the old adage goes, if a song stands up in a stripped back setting where all its bells and whistles have been removed, then undeniably it's a good song; something "Get Away", "Ball And Chain" and "Born Again" prove with an assured ease.

The beginning of what looks to be a long lasting relationship between band and label, Rock N' Roll For Your Soul isn't just aptly named, it also prepares the way for an all new Super Vintage album, Salvation Road. Crucially it's every bit as good as this intoxicating early 'best of'.

Track Listing
1. SING ME A ROCKIN' SONG

2. HEART N' SOUL

3. TRADE

4. WHAT'S WRONG

5. WISE MAMA

6. FIRE IN HER EYES

7. WATER IN A FOREIGN LAND

8. SHIP NEVER SAILED

9. I'LL NEVER BE THE SAME

10. FREE ME

11. DON'T LAY DOWN

12. YOU'RE ALIVE

13. TROUBLE LOVE

14. LET IT FLY

15. UNTIL TOMORROW

16. HAPPY N' LAZY

17. SALVATION

*BONUS TRACKS*

18. GET AWAY

19. BALL AND CHAIN

20. BORN AGAIN

Added: March 2nd 2016
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Rock n Roll For Your Soul at The Grooveyard
Hits: 2561
Language: english

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