Thursday 29 September 2011

Stevie Salas Colorcode - S/T (1990)

As the funk metal wave swept through metal city, far cooler bands carved their own soulful niche. Fishbone, Living Color, 24-7-Spyz and Stevie Salas were more than just imitators or cartoon punks. They never attempted to be metal - they weren't, but their hard driving levels of funk and soul just happened to get noticed by those fans eager to snap up the latest rock trend that was far removed from death, glam or straight edged metal. These bands seemed to deliver fresh messages although their words were fleeting. Stevie Salas and his band of merry funksters had enough funk to even make the likes of Prince proud, and then there's the lashings of Parliament, Lenny Kravitz, and that Hendrix groove going on. And not forgetting the darker stains of Living Color. Packed full of promise, this is a debut that rocks hard and cavorts like a serpentine mother ship, hell bent on simply creating dynamic funk with cutting guitars and steely chorus lines. There's so much sunshine soul on offer that any self respecting fan of bands ranging from Thin Lizzy to the already mentioned Prince, will find much to freak out to, or simply laze in the rays of this groover if you wish. 'Caught In The Middle' is pure pop rock, 'The Harder They Come' is cool funk with a Chili Pepeprs twist and personal fave 'Indian Chief' reeks of Hendrix. However, when one throws so many cool bands (okay, not including the Chili Peppers) in the mix, the influences are naturally going to shine, so if you fancy something far removed from '90s metal but still hard edged then this is a record to take you there.

7.5/10

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