Frontiers Records [Release date 10.07.20]

There was a time Enuff Z’Nuff’s lineup seemed to go into an endless revolving door spin, but now, with founding member Donnie Vie apparently leaving for good, Chip Z’Nuff has assembled a solid, talented line up. Guitarist Alex (Little Caesar/Shark Island) Kane and producer, engineer, guitarist, Tory Stoffregen, and drummer, Daniel Benjamin Hill have all been with the band a while now. There’s an interesting sprinkling of guests too…Steve Ramone, Mike Portnoy, Ace Frehley and others.

It’s a tight, tight combo, who’ve learned, under Chip’s tutelage perhaps, that in the world of rock’n'roll, less is often much, much more.

The band’s 2018 recording, “Diamond Boy”, was designed to shift the commercial emphasis onto a new generation of rock fans. It worked, pushing the album into the UK and US Indie charts. The writing was razor sharp (thanks to the overdue return of Znuff’s mojo), the production tight, the performances deft and collusive. Clearly, some bitter lessons were learned over many years of unremarkable albums.

New album, “Brainwashed Generation” is much better than its dated title suggests.

‘I Got My Money Where My Mouth Is’ is a beautifully pieced together poprock concerto. ‘Help’ (not that one) matches up. Its misplaced rush of pop optimism comes with a steely spine and White Album/Abbey Road harmonies, and like several others, it’s full of the band’s sonic signatures – unexpected chord changes, meticulously crafted hooks and a simplicity of phrasing.

Built on one of ZNuff’s sublime, down-shifting chord sequences, ‘Fatal Distraction’ isn’t far behind. It tilts the Difford/Tillbrook Squeeze axis to the point that a wonderful tune and some entertaining wordplay come tumbling out.

Z’Nuff shunts us down a few sidings from time to time, where we can enjoy watching the passing traffic – ‘It’s All In Vain’ and ‘Stranger In My Head’ have an easy going, pedestrian gait – then suddenly we’re hooked up to ‘Drugland Weekend’s dive down the (White) Rabbit hole, and ‘Go’. Any song that can rhyme Shark, Oligarch and Patriarch deserves a mention.

But the album’s standout track, by some distance has to be ‘Broken Love’. Wrapped round a slender melody, it’s not a love song as we know it, but a sweetly and softly sung lament, as Z’Nuff mourns his late brother. We may be tired of the comparisons the media makes when describing EZN’s albums, but songs like this one sound like ELO or the Beatles extrapolated to their logical essence … just a tune, a lyric, and a mood, all merged into a four minute magic spell. That’s how it’s done. ****1/2

Review by Brian McGowan

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Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)

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