Known for his work with Paul Weller and Ocean Colour Scene, Steve Cradock released his new album “Peace City West” on April 4th. The 14 track album features the single ‘Last Days of the Old World’ which immediately sets the tone for an entire album of nostalgic 60s style, singer-songwriter songs.

Tracks like ‘Only Look Up When You’re Down’ tap into a very personal aspect of this Birmingham born artist. According to Cradock, “That was written for my mum because she hasn’t been well but it can be taken in general terms as a way to look at life. I didn’t want it to be too maudlin.”

It’s true…‘Only Look Up When You’re Down’ is incredibly positive and sunny, complete with whistling bridge and chorus of “ahhhhs”. The whole album is a smooth mixture of Beatle-esque stylings even down to the second of three 1 ½ minute ‘Interlude’ full of sitar, Indian chanting and drums.

The funky ‘Steppin’ Aside’ (co written with his wife Sally, who also features on backing vocals) is a Dusty Springfield-ish, latin groove.  There are some real stripped down songs like the dazzling ‘Finally Found My Way Home’ which has the feel of a classic with a great sing along chorus.

‘My Scooter Sits Idle’ brings out the mod a bit and contains some intelligent lyrical work against buzzed out guitars, striking organ and classic drum fills – “Put on my flairs, cos I’m just a boy at heart…My scooter sits idle just like my bible”.

Following the third ‘Interlude’ of jazzy piano flairs, the album rounds out with a spacey, funky bass-laden, Bowie meets Beatles (with homage to Helter Skelter in the lyrics) ‘I Man’ and finally a lullaby – complete with snoring – ‘Ring the Changes’.

Steve Cradock will be on tour in Germany throughout the rest of March and April but will return to the UK supporting another Fab Four championing act, Beady Eye. For more info visit: www.stevecradock.com

For four years, Tom Petty kept us waiting for new material. And now as a seasoned veteran of all things classic rock, he along with his Heartbreakers offers audiences Mojo. Mojo – magic, charm, self-confidence, raw sex appeal…not really the kind of term that people would think of when describing Tom Petty’s music. This album should have been simply titled “Blues” because that is in its very essence what it is.

Tom Petty’s repertoire has always lent towards that Southern-fried sensibility yet maintained a contemporary pop sound that lent itself to countless hits. There have been touches of blues licks on albums like Echo and Highway Companion but the blues never really dominated.

Nevertheless, Mojo has had mixed reviews. This mature offering could be described as one-faceted, music for musicians…but I’m not from this camp. I love it. And Tom Petty fans are digging it.

The album was originally announced as a back to basics, no overdubs, no frills, no re-takes album. And with that it is refreshing and quite rightly shows off the band’s established talent. The album art boasts the equipment used and a lovely collaged photograph of the band – a little grey and wrinkled and remarkably unrock-n-roll. The best bit is the teasing pictures of the guitars in the background, hanging on the wall – an impressive array of vintage axes and Rickenbacker logos galore.

The album starts off with a fast-paced, rhythm-matic track in Jefferson Jericho Blues complete with fuzzy guitar riffs, pounding piano and Tom Petty’s iconic nasally vocals. Start as you mean to go on is what it says to me.

This is followed up by a scalular, sliding guitar intro of First Flash of Freedom before breaking into a laid-back jazzy ¾ time instrumental as Tom Petty’s vocals emerge, listless and poetic – “Love it is hard, Like an overdue train. We felt so much more, than our hearts could explain” and “A fistful of glory, a suitcase of sin”.

Tom Petty’s talent for the narrative lyric is also felt in later tracks particularly in the Clapton-esque reggae tune Don’t Pull Me Over and The Trip to Pirate’s Cove.

By the middle of the album, a seasoned listener would pick up on that naked recording with the occasional sloppy fingering of guitar solo like on the kickin’ I Should Have Known Better. But rather than turning you off, it should sorta give you that impression of a live performance.

Americana is another stark theme to this album. Tracks like Candy ooze 40s American South with its references to coca-cola, moonshine and fruit jars. US 41’s acoustic styling, vocal drawl and effects that sound like it is being played on vinyl. And a more modern country ballad with mournful guitar like that of No Reason to Cry.

With 15 tracks, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers certainly aren’t stingy to listeners with Mojo. Classic rock aficionados, Petty lovers and fans of music like Clapton and BB King should really get into this CD.

Originally published on Zavvi

One of the most quintessential Hollywood sleaze bands to come out of the 80s glam metal scene is the LA Guns. This band is steeped in US metal history with notable family lineages tracing back to Guns-n-Roses, WASP and Ratt. The press kit accompanying this re-issue of Shrinking Violet ends to remind me that this version of LA Guns is the real, accept no substitutes thing – obviously a poke at original hey-day lead singer, Phil Lewis’ attempt to perform under the name LA Guns after a break-up in the early 2000s.

Donned in new artwork that epitomises that sort of Hollywood-style tattoo art of skulls and shiny metal guns, the Shrinking Violet Deluxe Reissue features nine new songs and five bonus live tracks that are probably the most recognisable hits by the band.

While I really dig “The Ballad of Jayne” and “Rip and Tear”, I must admit that I initially thought “oh no, here we go again, just regurgitating the same ole’ stuff”. I’ll start off by saying I was totally wrong. The live tracks are very well recorded and I found myself singing at the top of my lungs in the car – “what a shame, what happened to Jayne!”

The band line-up features LA Guns’ founding member and Sunset Strip, guitar god Tracii Guns (who I must say, judging from album artwork has aged very well, yummy), Jizzy Pearl (obviously not his Christian name, ha!) on vocals, Jeremy Guns on bass and Chad Stewart on skins. Pearl’s whiskey vocals are amazing throughout the album and are absolutely dripping with sexy sleaze.

Shrinking Violet kicks off with a full-on, very commercial “Girl You Turn Me On” and is followed up by the title track, “Shrinking Violet”. The next two tracks though slow the tempo down and represent a pop at the rock ballad. “Dreamtime” has this sort of 50s doo-wap beat and “Barbed Wire” intros with creepy organ, acoustic guitars and overtly passionate chorus.

“I’ll Be There” is my most favourite track of this album. It’s a true pedal to the glam metal type of song. Pearl’s vocals scream “Put the hammer down honey” over the top of meaty hooks provided by Guns’ unremitting guitar work. Then comes an homage to the state that represents this entire genre, “California”.

“Cherries” fluctuates between a very, dare I say it, British pop sound to uber, fast tempos and some great cascading drum fills. The album finally rounds out to a true blues track called “Bad Whiskey”.

LA Guns is currently touring stateside but plan to perform at The Hard Rock Hell 4 Festival in Wales in December and promise to announce some more UK dates shortly.