When Saigon Kick ousted Matt Kramer, I was admittedly distraught and hearing Matt's 'War...' debut not only brings back the the glory days of the early '90s, but enables me to appreciate the silky tones of this bona fide rock star. 'War...' is a fragrant, swaggering, lush, snake-hipped and leathery debut record from one of rock's most mercurial front men. Instant, cool, and soaring, 'Soul Star' immediately grasps the listener, Kramer's distinctive voice spatters the track which steps into glorious motion, cavorting into a glam rock slither. 'So Long' is equally sleazy, and again, great to see that Kramer is sticking to that breezy, alterno-rock which made him so popular back in the day. The chug of 'Goodbye... is unexpected, in the same way that Saigon Kick were able to throw in dark and ugly rockers alongside such euphoric ballads. Vocally, 'Goodbye...' reminds me of Bowie and the acoustic laced 'Spinning Round' enables the listener to kick back and drift.
I'd love to see Saigon Kick back with Kramer, but then again, 'War & Peas' is a rewarding record of emotion but I just hope and pray that Matt is able to release such records on a constant basis rather than sinking into the depths of obscurity. Another similar talent brought to mind being Michael Franano of The Front/Bakers Pink.
The pensive 'Change' is magnificent, 'Im Getting Closer' more driving, blessed with a killer riff, as is 'If God Could Hear Me'.
This is a glorious record that deserves to be heard by the masses, and as 'Silence' glides into motion I can only huff in frustration as another superb record is no doubt ignored by the crowds in favour of commercial shit. Much respect to Matt and his beautiful sound.
8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment