Album review: BLENDED BREW – Shove It Down

Mighty Music [Release date 01.05.20]

On the info sheet for this album Blended Brew are likened to AC/DC, Deep Purple and Rival Sons. Well two out of three ain’t bad as Mr Loaf once sang as I didn’t get much AC/DC in the mix. However, there were moments of Deep Purple, mostly in the Hammond organ parts, but the over riding comparison is with Rival Sons, unfortunately not I band I enjoy.

No matter, we are here to discuss the merits of Blended Brew and there is a lot to like. Their blues infused rock is well played throughout and the vocals of Jimmy Mansson are more palatable in my book than those of RS’s Jay Buchanan.

The tracks are split into ones that could be Rival Sons outtakes such as ‘Woman I Need You’ and ‘Give Me Your Love’ which are good but a bit too close for comfort in my book. The others though are where the interest lies with tracks like ‘Ancient Alien’ and ‘Electrified Loser’ showing off the rock/blues credentials of the band and showcasing the excellent guitar work of Mansson and the keyboard wizardry of the regally named Lord Sebastian Groset.

‘Run and Hide’ is another track of note built on a dirty blues riff with Hammond organ accents which is underpinned by some bombastic drumming from Christoffer Beck. This song is the album highlight for me and proves that the band have more than enough talent to create their own sound.

The album ends on a quiet note with ‘Don’t Say No’ which has Mansson on vocals accompanied by only piano and strings which is a refreshing change. It also perfectly showcases Jimmy’s vocal talents, a good way to round off the record.

This album is the second from the Danish crew and overall it is a strong collection of songs which show the breadth and depth of talent within the band. I do feel however that they need to shake off the Rival Sons comparisons as for me they are so much better than Jay and Co.

***

Review by Dave Wilson


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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)



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