You can almost hear the whole history of rock and roll running through this latest one from Charlie Kogen. Trace the sonic family trees through the musical threads that he builds the song from, an audiovisual roadmap of interlinking genres and musical scenes that have got us to where we are today.
“Not Wastin’ Time” is a multifaceted musical beast with its feet in a wide range of different camps. The underlying sound is one of understated rock and roll, tipping its hat to many of the ’80s AOR classic bands— Chicago, Foreigner, Toto —at their most subtle and refined (bands, in my opinion, due for a reappraisal in these dark and cynical musical times). If you are okay with the much-missunderstood term “Yacht Rock” then go with that. Around this, sassy soul sax, gentle piano lines, and sophisticated pop, or at least pop-aware vibes, seductive harmonies, and sensational, easy-going grooves all interlock.
Here, it is easy to see how rock and roll, blues, soul, and more besides have all been creative forces that have pushed and pulled to make the music of today what it is. “Not Wastin’ Time” might tip its hat to the past, but it is also a reminder of what we left behind in the rush to remake the modern musical age – nuance and subtlety, penmanship and the ability to write songs that are so much more than the usual throwaway fayre – and Charlie does all that and still arrives at something that, in a perfect world, would be racing up the charts, even as I write this!
