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Like a lot of rock writers, I’m asked to make top 10 lists every year. And every year I end up leaving a lot of excellent recordings on the cutting room floor. This is an attempt to call attention to albums I think deserve the end-of-year lists spotligh
10 GREAT ROCK & ROLL RECORDS: Artists that make rock & roll have it tough these days. Since the industry in general lost interest in rock once it quit dominating the LP charts, folks who make loud, aggressive guitar music seem to get marketed to the metal audience these days, and while that sometimes works, it often results in a rejection by the pickier-than-picky headbanger crowd, and dismissal by non-metalheads who don’t want to know about anything associated with leather ‘n’ studs. Here are ten powerhouses that aren’t metal but still fly the standard for rock & roll.
The Nomads – Solna (Loaded Deluxe Edition) (Career)
The godfathers of the Scandinavian rock scene return with an ass-kicking record that reminds its progeny how it’s done.
Iggy & the Stooges – Ready to Die (Fat Possum)
All skeptical eyes were on this one after the disappointment of The Weirdness and the sometimes uneven live shows featuring the James Williamson lineup. Damned if it doesn’t rock serious ass.
Lions in the Street – On the Lam (Beverly Martin)
This Canadian quartet has been making some of the finest Stones and Faces-influences rock & roll in the world for years. This EP cranks up the blues quotient more than usual, hitting harder while still keeping its hipshake grace.
Horisont – Time Warriors (Rise Above/Metal Blade)
This Swedish ensemble hewed a little too closely to the early 70s proto-metal sound on its first couple of records. But Time Warriors finds the band loosened up and melocially sharpened for a flat-out enjoyable ride.
Michael Monroe – Horns and Halos (Spinefarm)
It’s sacrilege to say it, but I think Finnish rocker Michael Monroe is making the best music of his life right now, even better than that of his former (and much more famous) band Hanoi Rocks. Though not quite the triumph of his previous LP Sensory Overdrive, this is still a great, punky, glammy rock & roll record that few can do with this much quality and conviction.
Kadavar – Abra Kadavar (Nuclear Blast)
Following up a solid but unspectacular debut, Berlin’s Kadavar finds its sweet spot somewhere between 70s proto-metal and 60s psychedelic garage rock. Those killer live shows and increased songwriting capacity paid off.
The DomNicks – Super Real (Citadel)
Nick Sheppard wipes the red off his ledger (that being his participation in the widely-loathed post-*Mick Jones* Clash record Cut the Crap) on this collaboration with Australian guitar pop legend Dom Mariani. Imagine the Stones as a power pop band and you’re close enough for rock & roll.
Five Horse Johnson – The Taking of Blackheart (Small Stone)
Too much blues rock revolves around extended guitar masturbation. Toledo’s FHJ uses its axes to drive its nasty riffs into the ground, while frontdude Eric Oblander wails and growls like he wrestled the devil at the crossroads and still thinks he won.
Deniz Tek – Detroit (Career)
The erstwhile leader of Radio Birdman, the Visitors, the Soul Movers and more steps out on his own for the first time in years with a set of smart, powerful songs and his signature Detroit-soaked sonics.
The Black Widows – Revenge of the Black Widows (Vital Gesture)
Tony Fate may be best known for leading the BellRays to glory with his superb guitar work and songsmithery, but his long-running instrumental project is just as potent. Imagine Davie Allan and Link Wray locking horns in a deathmatch and stand back.
