High pitched vocals, like a cross between Klaus Meine and Sebastian Bach and a sound that can only remind you of Sunset Strip in the heart of the days of Hair Metal, Shiraz Lane is interesting in that it in a way it seems like the most authentic of Sunset Strip pretenders in recent years.
For those, like me, that have spent years listening to the output of the small and mid-sized Hollywood bands as well as those that the industry took up and ruined there’s something refreshing about Shiraz Lane’s sound.
But first things first – this isn’t the second coming of Guns ‘n’ Roses and this is no ‘Appetite for Destruction’ but this is a band that seems to fit musically with that period without wanting to put a modern slant on things or simply ‘be’ another band that already existed and expired.
And whilst we’re being honest ‘Wake Up’ is far from the best opening track you’ll hear all year, it’s competent, it smells right, but it’s just lacking that killer hook, it’s almost the same story for ‘Momma’s Boy’ that follows, it’s got the swagger, feels right, the vocals are tight, drums spot on and guitars sublime but it’s almost like its working too hard and that is my take on Shiraz Lane, it’s simple they just need to loosen up a little, get back to basics and let it all hang out.
The good news is that over the course of the album they managed to do just that – and in doing so they convince me that the sound they create is in the blood. This may not be the best debut album but it makes me hopeful that the great one is just around the corner. One things for sure there’s no ’Use Your Illusion’ next up for these guys.
What works best? I’s a tough one with each track having its merits but none really blowing you away. I actually find myself looking back to earlier EP tracks like ‘Money Talks’ or ‘Story to Tell’ and wonder why Frontiers didn’t re-record that pair to bolster the album a little.
The Poison-like ‘Begging For Mercy’ is probably my pick as it adds a little 60’s girl band/The Darkness edge and yeah I guess in a way echoes Danger Danger’s ‘Monkey Business’ a little in the chorus, the only issue is that it’s sort of on its own sonically! But I do also dig the two bluesier numbers ‘Same Ol Blues’ (to me the best written song here); the slow creep and swing of ‘Behind the 8-Ball’ and the darker ‘Bleeding’ which all work well along with the lighter AOR closer ‘M.L.N.W.’
This isn’t the finished article but it makes me feel as excited as I get to think what these guys might be capable of next time around.
