The Answer Raise A Little Hell cd review















The Answer release album number 5 and the follow up to 2013's New Horizon on March the 9th on Napalm Records.

The band decamped to Spain to producer and long term friend Will Maya's Los Rosales studio last summer and the fruits of their work will soon be unleashed for everyone to hear.

Raise A Little Hell sees the band very comfortable in their own skin and producing for me the album of their career so far.

The 12 tracks show a maturity and genuine class that few can match with the band stretching out from their blues base and happy to not only bash you round the head but also take it down where necessary and let the tune do the work.

Opener " Long Live The Renegades " starts on Micky Water's bass and James Heatley bass drum beat before Paul Mahon's stop start guitar riff kicks in and Cormac Neeson's vocal builds to the first chorus where the band all kick in.It has a wonderful groove as does the whole album with Will's production really coming through.Micky's bubbling bass underpins the track and Paul's guitar riff sound has a real richness to it.Great light and shade in the middle of the song with Micky still very visible.

" The Other Side " starts on a strummed guitar riff and a very passionate Cormac vocal before a real bluesy stomp ensues with again bass and drums driving the song.I love the way the guitar riff stop starts and then strums and then kicks in hard at the chorus.More light and shade after the second chorus which show off the bands melodic tones to perfection.

" Aristocrat " is built on a staccato guitar riff and driving bass and drums that builds to a multi layered chorus before the band have a harmonica and guitar duel after the second chorus.Sure to be played live.

" Cigarettes And Regrets " starts on a heavy guitar riff but the goes left field as the vocal starts and we have an acoustic guitar riff and Cormac's impassioned vocal shine.The song builds around the chorus and then down again into the second verse.

" Last Days Of Summer " has a fuzzy heavy as hell guitar riff and the bass booms out over James's thumping drum patterns while Cormac strains every sinew on his vocal. Paul's guitar solo shows what a great guitarist he is as all his solo's tell a story before the band go all groovy in the middle section and take it down to a crawling pace before it all builds to a band crescendo!!

" Strange Kinda Nothing " is the album's tender moment with a slow paced acoustic guitar riff and Cormac has a chance to shine with a superb vocal. Not really a ballad just a class song with all the band contributing to a song that washes over you and leaves you feeling warm all over.The band have a musical outro which you can imagine them taking some time over in the live setting.

" I Am what I Am " takes the pace up with another superb stop start guitar riff that builds into a band gang style chorus and Cormac sounding quite gravelly on this one.3 and a half minutes in and out!!

" Whiplash " for me is a cousin to New Horizon's " Concrete " a huge riff at the start that is as heavy as Paul as ever done. I love the way the riff changes under the verse and then changes again to a picked note before building to a crushing band workout just as the chorus kicks in with all the band helping out on another gang style chorus. Paul's solo over the top of James's pounding drums and Micky's bass is another treat.Please play it live!!

" Gone Too Long " I loved the first time I heard it. Cormac tells a story of finding someone to hold and finding a future before apologising for all the shit he has done and being away too long.Wonderful melody and all the band's backing vocals raise the chorus and Micky's crushing bass line under Paul's guitar solo after the chorus is superb.

" Red " is a bluesy foot stompin' romp that ebbs and flows with a real rock n'roll groove under Pauls' guitar solo and more harmonica thrown in for good measure with Cormac chasing red tail lights.

" I Am Cured " has a slide guitar riff before James's drum groove and the main guitar riff changes and build to the chorus with Cormac wailing he is cured as the slide guitar riff returns.Paul's fast fingered solo over James's sledgehammer drums is excellent and we then get more harmonica as the band workout a heavy stomp.

The title track " Raise A Little Hell " finishes the album in style with a laid back bluesy workout built on Paul's riff that build to the chorus and you can imagine them playing it live as Cormac asking the crowd to raise a little hell.

I have been a fan of The Answer since day one and this album builds on all the quality work of the past and shows a band willing to stretch out and say to the world this is who we are.

Ass kicking blues rock at it's finest from Northern Ireland's finest export.

The band hit the road in a town near you.Go see them!!

 


Rockgig was lucky enough to talk to Micky last week about Raise A Little Hell and here is the link.

http://rockgig.blogspot.co.uk/2015/02/micky-waters-of-answer-talks-raise.html

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