The Smouldering Sons
Something Good, Something Bad
Topers Rant Records

If this album had been reviewed after the first listening the verdict would have been 'love the name, like the album', it was an ok, nothing special album from a guitar band. Lots to enjoy not much to excite.

Thank god for going back because once you tune in to the Smouldering Sons then not only is there a whole lot more to enjoy but there is also plenty to excite. The band is the brainchild of Ian Brown and Jason Scopes whose combined influences range from Chet Atkins and Scotty Moore to Frank Zappa and Peter Green, so it covers a pretty broad spectrum. The album is billed as 'alt country' quite why I don't know because the 'ride the range' feel to Johnny Allen is about the only overtly country thing about it.

You could just as easily label Stupid Thing Called Love as a hark back to the power pop days of the 80s. In fact that analogy is strengthened by Brown's vocals, Going Concern has the emotion-drenched sound of Midge Ure in his Ultravox pomp. Far better to forget about labels and judge each song on its not inconsiderable merits.

Perhaps the initial slight indifference comes from the fact that the pattern of the album is a pretty rigid mix of ballad and up tempo. The only real departure being a towering instrumental Deep Blue Sky. Further investigation reveals that it is within each song that the real interest lies, Enemy Inside has a hook that could catch a marlin.