GIN ANNIE

I have been following these guys for a while now and have watched them gather momentum to the point where they grabbed an opportunity at HRH Highway To Hell and scooped up a recording deal with 'Off Yer Rocker Records'. This was a well deserved reward for the hard work put into their live shows and their music and a great payoff for this Midlands 5 piece.

The additions of Guitarist Brian Green and Phill 'Hammer' Burrows on Bass in late 2017 gave them more added steel and bite and rounded off the band who were formed by cousins, vocalist Dave Foster and Guitarist Byron Garbett who, along with the raw drumming energy of Jack Ryland-Smith complete the quintet.

So onto this release which I have been relishing the chance to review and things kick off with 'Love 'Aint Here' with Jack providing the fast-paced drum intro and this motors into a great mid paced rock track delivered in distinctive Gin Annie style with hard edged guitar and the clear, clean vocals of Mr Foster. 'Dead And Gone' follows on and possesses some great guitar work with some clear heavy drum and bass work which I love, it has a real groove about it and for me almost tipping it's hat towards a Pearl Jam sounding chorus.

'Chains', a recent single from the album offers up a mellow vocal intro and then rolls on with some great deep south influenced guitar work and it's clear from the lyrics that ask 'Where do I belong' that the answer comes in the shape of right here on this release of course.

Now to say I'm pretty well acquainted with this release may be an understatement as I have been listening to almost half of the album for quite a while now as some of the tracks have been previously recorded clearly just waiting for their given home on this release. 'New Bad Habit' is just one of those to see the light of day back in March 2017 from the EP of the same name and one of my personal favourites, a real foot stomper with some seriously good heavy guitars and riff laden melody, always a winner when played live. 'Next To Me' has so many changes of pace and diversity it captures your ears from the outset, with one serious sing along chorus and a subject matter that could relate to any discerning person who has woken up in the wrong bed after a night on the tiles, this is one tasty number. I just love the AC/DC-esque intro to this track and the drumming is just so punchy on this song that it has me thigh slapping all the way through such is the catchiness of this track and again it tells a great story lyrically, again great guitar and bass work throughout and Dave's vocal styling means this is another major player on the album.

'Fallin' is one hell of a song live and it does not disappoint here either, heavier in execution than some other tracks and with a beat to blow the cobwebs away I defy you not to be soon singing along and thrashing your arms in true air guitar fashion in no time at all. Released in June of this year 'All I Want' starts with a crunching riff and continues to blast you in the face with the same relentless hard rocking drive and fine musicianship from all.

I didn't expect to hear a ballad from Gin Annie but it is exactly what has been delivered in the shape of 'Haunt Me' and wow what a difference it is to the pure rock n roll onslaught that had been served up to this point. Now, I am a sucker for ballads and this one does not disappoint me at all and as the title suggests it is haunting in its execution and also offers some great piano work from producer Jay Shredder who of course has done an excellent job of producing the album.

As a self professed connoisseur of the ballad, I sat and listened in studious judgement. This song just resonated with me and in fact a great breakaway from what I have heard so far and I really love the mix of piano, guitar solos and edginess of this song and the way it just ends with no fade out, so it was to the repeat button I reached, which says it all. This one passed the test with flying colours and a very welcome addition to the whole piece.

They round things off with a very well known song to GA fans in the form of 'Born To Rock n Roll', this captures the essence of what we all want via the lyrics, whether you play the music, produce the music, love watching it live or just listen wherever that may be this is your song, in all its foot stomping, fist punching, head banging glory!

This album has a certain eclectic feel to it and offers the listener some clear diversity of sound with a hard rock edge, heavy riffs, powerful drumming and mix of musical styles that is sure to please most advocates of great music. But don't take my word for it, oh no, you go out and log on to pledge music and support the release of this album and get some goodies along the way and support some damn fine music which I give a solid 9/10 to in closing, whilst avoiding the obvious 100% proof cliché potential!

RD