Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
No limits, that’s all you can ever truly hope for in life. To be able to live with the knowledge that all that you have done is all that you could physically do; that there was no quarter given, no hidden page left unread and sequel available as every possible plot point and character development had been written in to the life story. Records and music is like that also, except that where the blood sweat and tears of one album runs deep into the furthest recess of the heart, there is always room for more of the same, or even a deviation from the artistic norm, of a second “difficult” album.
For The Royal Southern Brotherhood, the superb Mike Zito, the glorious Cyril Neville, Devon Allman, all of who have captivated their fans with uniquely adored solo recordings in the last year, and Yonrico Scott and Charlie Wooton adding a certain flawless flavour to the proceedings, the band second album, Heartsoulblood, is just that. It gushes with such an outpouring of sound that to avoid it is to curl up into the foetal position and waste the remainder of your life.
Listening to Heartsoulblood you have the image of a certain mysterious, captivating force struggling to break free, the bonded steel chains that attempt to keep it grounded, tied to the mundane and usual have broken and what is let loose is one of the very good things that was unleashed from the diseased receptacle of Pandora’s Box, that of hope.
Far too often young musicians get into the world of music because they believe it leads to riches, perhaps even dates with the opposite sex and in some cases a life of excess, the heroes a particular generation fresh in their minds as they see extravagance and waste permeating from every guilt ridden orifice. Not every young musician falls for it, their heroes play music because it’s there to be played, to get the notes out of their head and to spread a little joy where they can. This is how it feels to listen to Heartsoulblood, an album full of praise, of sensitivity so large it requires a big bouquet of flowers just to take it out of its casing before letting the beast of guitar out to play.
The grace of tracks such as Groove On, Shoulda Known, and the sublime beauty of Takes A Village are the gentle loving handshake before the violent Rock shakedown that you demand of songs such as the incredible Callous, Ritual and Trapped. Music that builds you up and knocks you down a few pegs before handing you a soft linen handkerchief in which to dry your eyes with, there are few that have that power and it takes these five men to provide it.
Such a rare feat, such a rare album and above it all, just superb!
Ian D. Hall