I know that art, and obviously music is included in such a label, can be about holding a mirror up to who we are; it can be about showing us the future, about trying new things and pushing boundaries; it is often about adopting new mindsets and taking paths less travelled. And that is fine. But sometimes you just want a no-nonsense, slice of kick-arse rock and roll. And when those urges take hold, Divergent has exactly what you need.
That is a bit unfair, perhaps; this isn’t just the sound of the past being repurposed, but it is fun and familiar at the same time as being fresh and fantastic. But then rock n’ roll music pretty much found its perfect form many years ago, so why deviate from the proven plan too much? And this is undeniably rock ‘n’ roll music writ large. That said, the eight tracks on Rev It Up, the band’s second album, criss-cross the rockscape, pushing boundaries and absorbing all the genre has to offer. As the band’s name suggests, divergence and diversity are the name of the game.
As the title track kicks the album off, it is clear that classic rock through the ages is one of their guiding forces, a song built of those twin forces, speed and power, a song whose riffs smell of gasoline and whose beats leave burnt rubber behind when they have blasted off in a haze of blue, acrid smoke. By contrast, songs like ‘I Really Want to Love You (So Bad)’ have a more mellifluous, melodic, and soulful core. Not quite the classic power ballad, but certainly a song that will find much favour far beyond the borders of hard rock.
‘Out of Love’ is a song that David Coverdale would have been jealous of, especially once Whitesnake were headed into more American-sounding songwriting territory and ‘Morning Light’ opts for more cinematic and wide-screen vibes. ‘Shine On’ rounds things off with something of a southern rock groove, somehow both understated and yet gently anthemic…if that isn’t an oxymoron.
But more important than the great music is the great story: three childhood friends (and in the case of two-thirds of the band, siblings). This is the story of brotherhood, the delivery of long-overdue promises, and a band that was meant to be, but somehow got held up for forty years… then, as John Lennon famously said, “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.” (But he also said, “I am the walrus, Goo goo g’joob,” so make of that what you will.)
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