Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
A gesture of thanks must always be acknowledged, that even in the sadness of passing, people will always recognise the natural artistic gift to which people bring to the fore with courage, with passion and a huge willingness to sacrifice time in the pursuit of excellence, no matter how it is received at the time, what is immersed in greatness will always find a way to be re-discovered, be reborn into a time when others find the pleasure imagined at the time.
Keep The Fire Burning, no matter how much time suggests it is the moment to let the embers lay, keep the spirit intense no matter that Time insists it is the moment to allow the dust to settle, for those fires, those bonfires of the ego are nothing without the sentiment and the satisfaction that comes from re-discovery, of finding a route not on your personal map laid down at some point and not only still navigable, but one that has been cared for, one where the roses of pride in delivery and love of the art still has you seeing red on every bloom on the path.
It is to memory and commemoration, as well as the pulse of good ol’ dependable Rock, that the re-issue of Seeing Red’s Keep The Fire Burning comes striding into view as the colossus it is, but also with that sense of resolute, un-yielding magic, that really gets to the heart of Scottish vocal dominance on a genre that is forever a celebration.
The much-missed Angie Townsend, Steve Brown, Terry O’ Sullivan, Aly Barr and with guest musician Ross Dall Philip supplying bass on two tracks, are reunited via the kindness of Time, the fires they first lit in hope, dedication and desire, have been reignited, and despite the sadness that stands in the emptiness that has befallen, there is no doubt that Keep The Fire Burning is an album of significant importance, one that kicks out at the system and leaves a sizeable impression upon the listener.
From the moment the listener lays their eyes upon the Rodney Matthews’ artwork, the feeling is one of breathless excitement, for what lays underneath is not just fire, it is a volcano, it is an explosion of heat that in tracks such as Heartland, Sooner Or Later, the superb Little People, Lost Without Your Love, Follower and Friend, and that volcano rumbles, growls and booms, the sight of it should not only be threatening, but exhilarating, for the listener knows that they stand in the presence of a roar that should be heard around the world.
It is in sadness that vocalist Angie Townsend is no longer with us, but in this album her spirit is there for all to hear, those magnificent vocals adding feminine grace to the boundless cool of the musicians; Keep The Fire Burning is an album to continue feeding, to see the flames sting the ignorant and sear the thoughts of the cynic. Outrageously superb.
Ian D. Hall