Given that The Tasty Kings are particularly known for their upbeat, sonic spark, opening with “Old Ford,” essentially a smooth, laid-back, soul-rock ballad, dedicated to a love of cars, is an interesting move. Some bands feel the need to kick off an album with a bang, capture the listener with something intense and incendiary, and obvious. Here we have a band that doesn’t feel the need to prove anything —not right off the bat, at least. They already have a captive audience and a solid reputation, so much so that we know that we are in trustworthy hands.
The “New York Times” feels like the sort of sonic urban biography that Lou Reed was so good at —a celebration of a time, a place, a sound, a scene, the beauty in decay of places like The Chelsea Hotel and the Big Apple before gentrification dulled its edge.
And if songs such as “Tess of Soho” show the band’s sensitive side, a reverie that blends literature with memory, “End of the Line” sees them head down a harmonica-infused slice of 70’s R&B, groovesome, growling, and quite frankly great!
A Rolling Stones vibe is never too far below the surface with this band, and they whilfully let it bubble to the fore on “After Your Gone,” the sort of sound that bridges the gap between that band’s period as dangerous Bohemians and that of world-beating elder statesmen of rock and roll.
Ending with the sweet, nostalgic ballad “Just Like Home,” which reminds us that sometimes the vibes and trappings that make home so familiar can be found in unexpected places, that a lot of the world is sometimes not that different after all, is the perfect bookend for the album.
This, their fourth album, sees The Tasty Kings showing us that whilst they are more than adept at the foot-on-the-monitor, fist-in-the-air rock and roll anthem, they understand the essence of the genre. They are equally able to pour such soul and sentiment, bluesy beauty and timeless grace into even the most understated and articulate songs. It’s why rock and roll has survived this long; it’s why The Tasty Kings are one of the best at keeping its spirit alive and moving forward.
