Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Punchy, dynamic, never understated, always an ear open for the sound, but with a heart as large as any, and as the music from Geoff Carne continues onwards, so the unveiling of the soul is unabashed and sincere.
For some, seeing a partner nod at the prospect of retirement would be a moment of reflection of their own place in the world they inhabit, the chance to contemplate what comes next and the opportunity to take stock before either making a life changing decision, or by treading the same path as before because it is right, because it is what is expected.
Not so Geoff Carne, and whilst fans will always miss the presence on stage of his wonderful collaborator Mick Hatz, the fact that Mr. Carne has not only continued onwards, but made a case for the unceasing and constant renewal is one to take the proverbial hat off to; for as he and the Raw Rox Band release their latest E.P., Rock The Blues, so Time finds a way to applaud loudly, to urge the commitment to the non-stop unrequited love that the musician has to his craft and shape the future in his own image.
Four new tracks, plus two chilled mixes, make up the new recording, and the are as ever, ones to truly find inspiration and cool within. Chilled? Dynamically unflustered, laidback but with the rocket exploding all around them and the listener, and as Restless Child, Give Me A Sign, Never Giving Up, and the E.P. title track of Rock The Blues, as well as the two chilled mixes of Never Giving Up and Restless Child, fill the air with a Blues Rock sound that is insistent, which is full of gravitas and sincerity, it is perhaps to the past we bow our collective heads, and to the future that we grab hold of with earnest anticipation; for even in the shadow of a loved partner’s leaving the nest that had been built, something new will always come around to put a smile back on the face and put music in the guitar of life.
Rock The Blues for a long time to come, because Geoff Carne & The Raw Rox Band have got you covered…and you are going to love it.
Geoff Carne & The Raw Rox Band release Rock The Blues on September 9th.
Ian D. Hall