Rex
Brown
Smoke
on This
Steamhammer/SPV
Iconic cover, kick-ass title, unexpected treasure! Former bassist with Pantera, Down, and Kill Devil Hill, Rex Brown distils over
forty years of life in rock music to leave a cask strength rock album. Reinventing himself, he adds gruff vocals and
driving rhythm guitar to his normal bass duties.
I don’t think I’ve smiled as wide since hearing ZZ Top and
AC/DC in their prime after Brown announces “Smoke on this..” and unleashes
blues rocker Lone Rider followed by the equally catchy Crossing Lines. Buried Alive deals with the sad loss of
ex-Pantera, band-mate, Dimebag Darrell
and it’s dark and deep, ranging from his acoustic to the superb lead guitar of
Lance Harvill with whom he shares the song writing. Train Song catapults the fun right back at
you and I hope my grinning didn’t become gurning! For Get Yourself Alright he commands a sitar
and delivers with the swagger of Oasis and Nirvana combined. Fault Line, his first song he tried his lead
vocals on, is a slower-tempo acoustic triumph.
The second half of the album displays that his tastes can
vary from “Sinatra to Slayer”. Relax – It’s
still all rock. What Comes Around, is
something Lenny Kravitz wouldn’t be ashamed to put out. Grace shows a pop-rock
lighter side of the artist and So Into You is a slow burner that builds to a
crescendo of riffs and lead guitar. The
penultimate Best of Me is pure Floyd, right to the fade-out, before One of
These Days wraps up in style, this rather welcome return to music that doesn’t
need analysis. Play it, Hear it, Love
it! If this is too 2017, then take the artist’s advice instead which I found in
the liner notes – “Live loudly and embrace your loved ones everyday”
NE
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