Vambo: Vambo

Putting aside an album cover that lands somewhere between crass and crap, Vambo are here with their self titled debut album to push you back in time, before hauling things right back into the here and now. The seventies would appear to be this UK four piece’s natural home, with everything from Queen to Deep Purple and Blue Oyster Cult digging deep into their sound. Patience is key, but not so much in how long it takes to walk into the world Vambo create - after all, this is pretty immediate stuff with catchy choruses and hooks aplenty. Instead what the likes of “We’re Not The Same� is here to do is build a groove that’s steady, dependable and assured before hanging some baubles and trinkets on it that insist you keep on gazing intently as it dazzles and excites. Break it down and it’s simply a slow riff and falsetto vocal, but just revel in the effect and things suddenly becomes so much more.

Thankfully it’s not alone, opener “Now You See Me� actually giving off a staccato UFO meets Lillian Axe vibe, although through “Dancing With The Devil� it’s - rather oddly but oh so lusciously - John Payne era Asia that writhes with a Journey like slice of slush. I know that should make absolutely no sense in the head, but to the ears it’s able to unlock the enigma code. And while you’d maybe expect “Vambo Rules� to be a stomp along glam explosion, in the end it’s Free that slithers along to a chorus that, while controlled and contained, does admittedly reveal a stack of Sweet vocals.

“Down Little Mama� adds that same OTT theatricality to a Deep Purple swirl, although the more American sounding vocals from Jack Stiles undoubtedly have a huge say in a clash of attacks that finds differing sides of Vambo coming out on top. For the heart of this band is undoubtedly in the seventies, but a lot of their sound - even with a production from Ray Stiles (Mud/The Hollies) - feels strongly informed by an eighties aesthetic.

In the end it’s delights such as the quirky funked up rock swagger of “Why Why Why� that finds Vambo truly shining as they once more make an instant impression through a surprisingly unhurried intention. Both that and the confident performances captured here give the impression that this self-titled effort comes from a bunch of seasoned, hardened road warriors and while Vambo may have already put in some hard miles, they are still early on their journey. If what follows can up the ante further they and we may have something special on our hands.

Track Listing
1. Now You See Me
2. Why Why Why
3. Cry Woman
4. We’re Not The Same
5. Dancing With The Devil
6. World Of Misery
7. Down Little Mama
8. Running In Cirlcles
9. Camouflage
10. Vambo Roolz
11. Fast Car

Added: November 10th 2019
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Vambo online
Hits: 1060
Language: english

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