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Elly Roberts reviews
Birdman Records
- Released: April 2008
- Rating: 10/10
- Vote and comment on this album:
Embracing past progressive rock and the 21st century, Howlin Rain release a fantastic second album Magnificent Fiend on San Francisco based Birdman Records.
Magnificent Fiend is full of retro soundscapes with Hammond organ tracksalong with ballsy rock blasts and delicate electric passages. Theres a lotof harmony work going on here too, which makes this so appealing to devoteesof old fashioned prog-rock and accessible tunes from The Band-like songbook.
The deceptive pseudo jazzy instrumental requiem precursors the romping Dancers whichis right out of the early seventies heavy Hammond B-3 organ (Joel Robinow)and blistering guitar riffs and solos, leading to a funky short sequence seguedby more storming all-out rock. This is all behind Ethan Millers culturedcrushed velvet roar, reminiscent of the likes of Humble Pies Steve Marriot,and a band they stylistically seem to share a lot in common with.
Its not all blood and thunder though, as the soft rocking boogie Calling Lightning Pt.2testifies to. Jewel in the crown is the magnificent Lord Have Mercy. Theresa distinctive late 60s flavour going on here. After its mellow start, LordHave Mercy rises and falls, Millers rasping and pleading singing completesdesperation of the guilty mans conscience.Its high point is the Lynyrd Skynyrd Free Bird-like bluesy and awesome soloby Millers electric Wah lead guitar.
The most complex and exquisite moments happen of the lightweight El Rey,again cleverly meshing the past with the present, though theres plenty moreHammond work going on. Goodbye Ruby draws heavily on Southern boogiemeisters Little Feat. Should they need to track to lift as a single,this is it.
Crowning a glorious album, opus Riverboat consolidates my belief thatHowlin Rain are destined to around a long, long time, and Magnificent Fiendis all it purports to be.
File under: Top band.
Weblinks:howlinrain.com /myspace.com/howlinrain
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Requiem
2. Dancers At The End Of Time
3. Calling Lightning Pt.2
4. Lord Have Mercy
5. Nomads
6. El Rey
7. Goodbye Ruby
8. Riverboat
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.