Little Barrie Is Riding The Waves Of Good Old Rock Music

The English band Little Barrie is relatively unknown outside the UK. But its members have quite a track record. Front man Barrie Cadogan worked with big artists like Paul Weller, The Chemical Brothers and Primal Scream. Drummer Virgil Howe did a lot of session work and also worked with his father Steve Howe from prog rock band Yes. King of the Waves is their third album and is full of rock 'n' roll songs that could have been recorded fifty years ago. And that's exactly what this threesome wants to sound like: a good old fashioned rhythm 'n' blues band.

Little Barrie - King of the Waves (Ronald Says 8 out of 10)
This is clear right from the start with first track 'Surf Hell'. A screaming surf riff and jangling drums are the basis for some pure raw rock. It sounds like everything has been recorded in a garage without being polished up or recording tens of takes. This gives the album a lush authentic sound with a sharp edge. The songs did get enough attention though, since they all sound convincing. It all comes together halfway the record in the excellent 'Now We're Nowhere' with a lovely swinging groove.

When the guys take it a bit more easy, they not surprisingly are leaning more towards the blues. 'Dream To Live' is a laid-back track that floats by gently. When Cadogan isn't singing, his guitar speaks. And he's doing a great job at it. His solos are nice and gritty with lots of echo and distortion and remind of times long gone by. The rhythm section is lively and provides catchy grooves and riffs. One point of criticism is that it all sounds very much in control. The musicians could take more risk now and then and go crazy.

But that's just a minor footnote. The whole album breaths sweaty blues and rock that we know so well from the sixties. Anyone who still suggests that rock is dead should listen to Little Barrie. Maybe they are not breaking any new ground here, but they prove that rock is still alive and kicking. And when it's up to this band, it will stay that way for a long time fortunately.

This review has been published on ROAR E-Zine in Dutch over here.

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A Day In The Park With Case Mayfield And Dazzled Kid

Every year in the summer the Vondelpark in the centre of Amsterdam has a great program of comedy, music and dance in the weekends. Unfortunately due to our busy schedule we can only make it a few times. But we were glad we could make it Sunday to see Case Mayfield and Dazzled Kid

Case Mayfield and Dazzled Kid at Vondelpark Amsterdam, 31 July 2011
I won't post an actual live review since that doesn't fit these performances in the park. The idea is to relax and enjoy the nice performances. And maybe people passing by will stop to watch and discover something new. They were really lucky today to see two great musical acts.



First up for us is Case Mayfield. This singer/songwriter made a big impression on me the first time I saw him play. His great voice, shy appearance and the way he is singing his heart out make his beautiful songs stand out even more. My favourite song 'Louise' gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. Go see him when you get the chance and download his latest EP (and pay for it!). You won't regret it.



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Dazzled Kid is the one to close the day. Tjeerd Bomhof is singing in his usual manner, maybe not chatting as much. But that's because he's so happy and impressed to be playing in his home town according to himself. It doesn't really matter since the vibes are good and the weather cooperative. When he has to end his performance because otherwise "some lawyer living near the park will start complaining" they play one more song acoustically ending this great afternoon in a perfect way.



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The Quill Make New Start

A year after the Swedish band released their last album In Triumph in 2006, singer Magnus Ekwall left the band. This was quite a loss since Ekwall, with his typical voice that sometimes reminds a lot of Chris Cornell, was really important for the band. This looked like the end for The Quill. But now there's a new album Full Circle with new singer Magnus Arnar; yes another Magnus. He awaited the heavy task to make everyone forget about Ekwall on the thirteen songs that are on the album.

The Quill - Full Circle (Ronald Says 6 out of 10)
What is striking right away is that his voice is different than Ekwall's. It's less impressive and his reach seems a bit smaller. He tends to outcry himself and is overdoing it sometimes. This is especially noticable in the terrible ballad 'No Easy Way Out'. Fortunately there are mainly heavy songs on the album and they sound pretty nice most of the time. In the old line-up you could mistake the band for Soundgarden in their early years, although they never came near the band from Seattle. It lacks subtlety and variation for that. But now they go back to stoner rock instead. And especially on these testosteron loaded songs is where The Quill sounds best.

On 'Medicine' things go wild with pumping riffs, a nicely building middle part and grooving drums. On other songs, '24/7 Groove' and 'More Alive' they let things fly and their hair down as well. It's uncomplicated heavy rock and it's understandable they throw in a quiet song now and then to prevent the record from having not enough variation. Unfortunately these are the bad moments of the album and 'River Of A Moonchild' together with the mentioned 'No Easy Way Out' is a total miss.

For many The Quill fans it will be strange when they hear Full Circle for the first time. It's not a bad record and there's enough to enjoy. But it all sounds quite the same and it won't be enough to forget about Ekwall. It's doubtful if Arnar will be able to perform the old songs convincingly in the upcoming live shows.

This review has been published on ROAR E-Zine in Dutch over here.

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