My editor has been telling me for years that Myke Gray who played guitar and wrote for Skin, Jagged Edge and Red, White & Blues has wrote some of the best songs of the period. Well he returned a few years ago with the largely instrumental ‘Shades of Gray’ – a record that showed instrumental guitar music could be accessible and now he’s back again with another solo album but this time with Myke himself taking the mic, as well as playing guitar, bass and… well pretty much everything but drums which Midnite City’s Pete Newdeck handles.
Recorded during lockdown and made with the help of fans (one reason why my editor asked me to review it rather than him) All I can say is that I’m sorry it’s a bit late as it’s a great album. It is also an album that draws as it’s primary influence the Glam sounds of the 70’s and quite cleverly the bands that those bands themselves inspired – such as Def Leppard and Poison – bands you should hear in the grooves.
Opening with ‘Turn It Up Louder’ you immediately get a satisfying hit of Def Leppard, before the storytelling of ‘This Is How We Rock And Roll’ regales us of a young Gray starting out on his musical path, against a suitably blistering backing. ‘I Get Up’ then hits you with a shot of West Hollywood; and whilst the very melodic ‘Are You Ready For Love’ slows things down a touch it still rides a huge riff and sports a huge chorus!
I’m already more than satisfied by the time the stomping ‘Shout’ hits, and smiling ear to ear at the 70’s Glam Rock sounds of ‘Wham Bam’. They are followed by my current favourites – the heavier ‘Tied Up In Love’ and the passionate ‘Music Is My Remedy’ – which has a refrain as huge as anything Skin had! It’s a winner! We close out with the enormous ‘Take Me Higher’ and the Def Leppard hits the Sunset Strip of ‘California.’ It’s a solid way to go out.
If there is one slight criticism of ‘Shades of Gray’ for me (and I can appreciate all of the reasons behind it) it’s this – although Myke has a good voice I just can’t help myself picturing what two of Rock’s best singers who Myke played with in his former bands – Matti Alfonzetti and Neville MacDonald might have done with this wonderful material!
As a man after our own hearts – shunning streaming – you won’t find this on any of those platforms and you can buy it direct from the man himself on his own website just the way it should be. This and his other material are well worth checking out.
8.5/10
Tracklisting: 1.Turn It Up Louder | 2.This Is How We Rock And Roll | 3.Get Up | 4.Are You Ready For Love | 5.Shout | 6.Wham Bam | 7.Tied Up In Love | 8.Music Is My Remedy | 9.Take Me Higher | 10.California
