Savoy Brown
By Chris Wheatley
Highly respected British blues veterans Savoy Brown are set to release a new album, the appropriately titled Ain’t Done Yet, this August 28th via Quarto Valley Records. Led by the redoubtable Kim Simmonds, who handles vocals, guitar and harmonica, it’s been fifty-five years since the group helped kick-start the mid-sixties blues boom in London, England. The band has released albums in every decade since, remaining steadfastly dedicated to the blues, even as their contemporaries allowed themselves to become subsumed into the pop and rock mainstream. A founding member and driving force, Simmonds has always been at the core of Savoy Brown, whose roster has undergone many changes. The current line-up of Simmonds plus Pat DeSalvo on bass and Garnet Grimm on drums have been working together for more than ten years.
This set of ten original compositions, penned by Simmonds, opens with “All Gone Wrong.” Right from start, you can hear why the group has enjoyed such longevity. Over a simple bass riff and thumping, swinging drums, Simmonds’ voice cuts like a knife. “I don’t feel strong, my nights are long,” he laments. The groove is irresistible. DeSalvo and Grimm whip up an assured storm, primal yet deceptively nuanced. Simmonds’ guitar-work is a delight; pure, clear and bursting with emotion. There’s something of late-period Dylan here. For all its gloomy subject matter, Simmonds injects a wistful charm into the narrative.
“River On The Rise” opens with some sparkling, jangly guitar. This is an easy rolling, bouncing blues/rock number which floats like a stubborn raincloud across the sky, destined to dissipate, yet smiling in the face of its fate. Much of this album’s potency lies in the strength of Simmonds songwriting talent. “There’s a leak in my roof, rain pouring in, I got to find a preacher, let my praying begin.” Simmonds taps into the rich vein of blues-as-experience song, but he comes at it with a rare warmth coupled with his distinctly wry sense of humour. The result is a joyful mix of authenticity and immediacy. The tracks are structured and tight, yet contain a wonderful sense of playfulness and allow plenty of room for self-expression.
Says Simmonds, “I emphasized song content on the new album, yet I left plenty of room for band improvisation,” he admits. “For instance, there are two acoustic-based songs and also two six-minute songs where I’m able to stretch out on guitar solos.”
“Jaguar Car” is Savoy Brown in top gear, racing with insouciance like the vehicle it name-checks. Grimm and DeSalvo make it seem easy and sound hard. Simmonds growls and lets loose on the strings with some first class, multi-layered guitar and harmonica. It’s a fascinating approach, a new one for Simmonds, and it works wonderfully. He is, essentially, vamping and riffing with himself. That the results sound so organic and intertwined is a marvel. The rock-solid foundation of drum and bass hold it all together wonderfully.
Title-track “Ain’t Done Yet” is a rollicking jump-blues packed with well-crafted hooks and striding riffs. “I don’t want no regret, I ain’t done yet,” sings Simmonds, before drifting into an extended solo which is as expressive as it is cutting. “Rocking in Louisiana,” one of two acoustic-based numbers, provides a welcome change of palette. Simmonds’ voice displays the restrained emotion and power of Jerry Lee Lewis or Johnny Cash as it drifts over a lovely, rolling, shambling back-beat.
Savoy Brown Online
Leave A Comment