Along they come like a firecracker out of the night! Another new band for me this year that I’m hoping will be taking the first steps to a long and successful career is ‘Gin Annie’ out of the Midlands in the UK where so many great bands have spawned, and if this debut is anything to go by then their profile should see a huge spike in 2019.
That intro to the opening track ‘Love Ain’t Here’ is thumpingly good, the guitars wail and you start to brace yourself for impact, but it’s not all it seems – there’s a wonderful misdirection at play. The opening makes you think you’re about to be served with a sizzling slab of Metal but the song then settles into a smooth melodic catchy Hard Rock groove with an enormous chorus – think 80’s Hard Rock and the very best radio rock brought up to date and you have an idea. One things for sure ‘Love Ain’t Here’ is a classic and the best possible way to start the album.
‘Dead and Gone’ that follows is more of a slow burner – bigger, bolder, more informed by later decades, maybe even something that wouldn’t even have been out of place on Pearl Jam’s debut ’10’ which I always felt was an album out of time. It all sets up an intriguing introduction to ‘Gin Annie’.
The band however has plumped for ‘Chains’ as their debut video (below) and its another song with a vintage heart but modern thrust, melody aplenty and a huge groove. All in all a great start, and just the sort of impact a new band should be looking for. The good news for listeners though is that arguably the best is still to come.
When you first hear a song like ‘New Bad Habit’ you realise that they do indeed occasionally make them like they used to. There’s an unmistakable Skid Row-like grind and rumble to the bass and drums and a wonderful twin guitar attack, cool solo, indeed it ticks pretty much all the boxes.
An that is what ‘Gin Annie’ do so well, it’s clear that this isn’t just an 80’s Rock rehash, you can hear the intervening decades in their approach, and to an extent they do ‘colour’ the songs. Here the big emphasis is on making some noise and never losing sight of the melody, there’s also a nice number of straight ahead heavy rockers like ‘Next 2 Me’ and ‘All I want’ which really stand out.
‘Damage is Done’ is yet another reason to give these guys a listen, it’s simple, fun Rock and Roll, shot through with positive energy and clear blue sky attitude with a huge hook. Rock that makes you feel good! Conversely ‘Fallin” that follows treads a heavier path, built on a huge riff it sounds fundamentally modern yet still craves your attention and doesn’t sound out of place.
If we’re sticking to any conventions then ‘Haunt Me’ is the obligatory ‘Power Ballad’ some years after such things ceased to be obligatory. The band can be forgiven I guess on two counts – firstly that in trying to recapture the spirit of Rock’s glory days, then taking onboard old, time-honoured conventions might be seen as being respectful, the main reason though is that it’s a bloody good song! And that of course should trump everything. Having said that though I could live without it and its the only song here I could say that of.
Closing track ‘Born to Rock ‘n’ Roll’ wraps it all nicely with a real power charged retro rocker, thick on cliche and roaring to go, it’s a nice way to say thank you to the bands that got the band to this point. I love this album and the variety that comes within the grooves. I expect more from ‘Gin Annie’ but they’re already clearly a class act.
We’ll give vocalist Dave Foster the final word: “It’s just 5 guys from the Black Country making a racket but one we hope many will enjoy.”