It’s funny what element of a song jumps out at you first. And as “Sorrow” kicks off this new album from Duane Hoover, it isn’t the big guitars or the sheer singalonability (that’s a word, right), the sense of fun or the weaves of sixties pop vibes that runs through, what is essentially a low-slung rock number, it’s the bassline. As a fully paid-up member of the Four Stringers union, I really appreciate its driving groove – a force to be reckoned with that is happy to stay half-hidden, half-heard, in the engine room. Exactly right.
The two things constant throughout Wayward Path are that bassline energy and that blend of sixties, psychedelic pop that runs through the songs. Although there is a rock and roll growl echoing out of many songs, it is a power-pop style, sometimes even a pastel-pop style, that defines many of the songs. Energy and elegance all in one place.
“Go Away From My World” is full of great, on/off dynamics; the title track is a chiming hippie-pop meets rock and roll slice of deliciousness, and then, I stumble on another connection to my own (failed) music career. (They do say the music writers are all failed musicians! Guilty.) I remember covering “It’s Cold Outside” having heard the Stiv Bators version, and Duane’s version seems to be brilliantly faithful to that take, punchy, punky, perfect…man, it was like bumping into a long-lost friend, so thanks for that.
It’s an album made up of great covers and Duane’s own sonic creations, though at times, it is hard to tell which is which; such is his authenticity. And whilst his reference points are often from way back when, in the cyclical nature of music, this is an album ahead of the curve, perhaps paving the way for a resurgence of music that is substance over style. And boy, we need some of that in the current age.
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