Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

They say that class is purely a British occupational thought, riddled in today’s society as if it is the only country on Earth that makes distinctions between someone’s standings and their accent and manners. However, society is mired in the preoccupation, maybe not in terms of societal structure, but certainly in the way we immediately determine who we think is a good fit in our own sense of purpose and will give us status to grow, to push our energy onto the next level.

It is an innate, intimate decision that defines glory, one that those who see life as a serious endeavour to entertain, educate and take as a positive endorsement will always be of a higher class of people than those who seek to undermine at every possible junction, those who seek to make their own candle look good by putting out the illumination created by others. It is class that tells, to stay classy is to prove to the world that the low songs you may sing are only there because you wish to inspire those who require soothing and pulling away from the dissenters and the ones who seek pleasure in putting other’s down.

Some can talk the talk, but their gait is one that is closed off, ill-matched to the lyrical prose they wish to display, not so for one of Nashville’s finest, The Royal Hounds and as they add the incredibly talented Brazilian guitarist Matheus Canteri to the line-up, a lesson in decorum and pedigree becomes evident, one that rolls the dice with a series of double sixes as the new album, Low Class Songs For High Class People, willingly shows with panache and fun.

Some walk the walk, others lead by example as they stop others from walking into the oncoming traffic of haters and the insufferable. The Royal Hounds are such a band, part Rock ‘n’ Roll roots, with a lyrical tinge that comes from the finest tradition of observance, the dash of emotional purity and showmanship that typified Alex Harvey in his career, and across songs such as the rumbustious The Parthenon, Tweakers From Outer Space, Pizza Party, Manteiga The Butterfly and the bonus track cover of Stan Jones’  Ghost Riders In The Sky, that sense of occasion is worthy of absolute respect and prominent opinion.

An album that shows the class of the musicians involved, not one born of snobbery or outdated values, but one that is immersed in sensibility and the ability to make people smile in rough times; exulted and passionate, these are indeed beautiful Low Class Songs For High Class People.

The Royal Hounds release Low Class Songs For High Class People on August 2^nd.

Ian D. Hall