Provogue [Release date 07.06.24]

Quinn Sullivan’s “Salvation” is a guitar driven white boy soul album, with jagged edged funk and fleeting blues influences.

It’s a well crafted album that pushes Quinn Sullivan further into a singer-songwriter direction with a broad commercial imperative which sometimes dims his spark

In many ways this album mirrors his carefully constructed career, in which he learnt his craft with Buddy Guy, playing with Carlos Santana and touring Europe with Jonny Lang, Walter Trout, and Eric Gales.

As a result he’s honed the kind of skills set comparable to Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd (albeit the latter rations his singing).

The album is a custom made radio friendly affair which smoothly glides over his blues rock antecedents, with the emphasis on soulful melodies, warm guitar tones and heartfelt songs.

Significantly, he book-ends the album with a blistering live version of ‘Eyesight To The Blind’, in front of a hometown Connecticut crowd. It generates the kind of frisson that is too often subsumed on the rest of a smooth album.

So while this is a remarkably polished old school album for a 25 years old – especially in the way it blends song craft with the kind of mellifluous playing that you might expect from a much older player – the songs are lyrically introspective and infused with a soulful feel currently very popular in the States.

This gives the album a retro feel especially on outstanding brace of tracks such as ‘Better In Love’ and ‘Eyes On Me’, which could easily be mid-70’s Hall & Oates.

The opening track ‘Dark Love’ single sets out a template for the album as a whole, with a relationship narrative spun over a smooth arrangement.

Everything flows nicely into an electric piano solo, while the exclamatory “c’mon”, provides a moment he only belatedly embraces with a sizzling solo, as everything else is mixed too far back.

He tips his hat to both Hendrix and SRV on the opening of a very funky title track (fully titled ‘Salvation (Make Me Wanna Prey)’.  And while the first verse is musically not too far removed from Delbert McClinton’s ‘Shaky Ground’, he transforms the track with some scorching wah-wah and a falsetto vocal.

Then there’s the uplifting and percussive ‘Rise Up Children’ which evokes the song title with a great harmony heavy hook and glistening slide.

He’s even better on the buzz guitar-led ‘Don’t Wanna Die Today’, on which the layered guitar and keyboards could be early Ten Years After.

There’s a defining moment at the 2 minute 10 mark with a marvellous harmony guitar break over an aching bass line. This leads to the kind of fiery solo and intensity that is too often lost on the smoothed out edges of this album.

‘Once Upon A Lie’ is a funky radio friendly track with a soulful feel that could be Michael McDonald meets Earth Wind & Fire, all  glued together by a fusion style guitar solo.

And while it is undoubtedly one of the album highlights, artistically it looks back rather than forward, and pushes the project towards the proverbial old wine in new bottles.

There’s a change of pace on ‘Better In Love’, an intricately voiced and sultry toned ballad, while the trebly ‘Leave No Love Behind’ has a palpable Latino feel on a another troubled relationship song with a sweeping chorus.

‘I Can’t Stay (And You Can’t Go’) is a gutsy, funked up shuffle blues on which he uses a notable brusquer tone and angst filled vocal.

The impressive horn-led funk of ‘Nothin’ Gonna Change My Mind’ has a catchy hook, some feverish wah-wah work and snappy horn stabs.

It then surreally veers towards 80’s Michael Jackson, albeit with a stinging guitar resolution.

Another radio friendly single ‘Half A Heart’ features a pre-hook, falsetto, and is a good example of the way the album slips from soulful blues foundations to full scale ballad.

His stellar guitar playing is to be found in the detail of a story telling song driven album with a soulful heart. It’s worthy of its 4 stars because of the essential relationship between the songs and his musical application. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

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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 1 December 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 3 December 2024.

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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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