Album review: THE OUTLAW ORCHESTRA – Power Cut

THE OUTLAW ORCHESTRA – Power Cut

Website [Release date 26.03.21]

The Outlaw Orchestra, who love southern rock, blues and country, via their hometown of Southampton, follow up last year’s enjoyable ‘Pantomime Villains’ with this mini-album.

As singer/guitarist Dave Roux explains “When we’re not on the road, we miss the stage and hanging with our outlaw buddies. When the bottles run empty, our country roots come out, usually in the small hours, so we’ve taken a handful of our favourite songs and played them as we would in a backroom, after folks have gone home, the chairs are up, lights are down and there are no wires or amps“.

So what do we get on here? Eight tracks, although only six songs as the opening and closing tracks set the scene, in that the band are meant to be playing a live electric set for radio when there is a power cut, hence they go acoustic.

Two of the songs appeared on the ‘Pantomime Villains’ album, namely ‘Chicken Fried Snake’ and ‘Send Some Whiskey Home’. Both sound great in acoustic form, where the pedal steel and banjo take centre stage on the music side of things.

Despite the band being tongue-in-cheek with their lyrics, they are consummate musicians which you can really appreciate on these acoustically driven songs.

‘Rattlesnake Sour’ is a proper blues foot stomper, complete with slide. This one will sound great live. ‘Back To Georgia’ is a fine piece of banjo led blues/southern rock – something say Blackfoot would have done in their prime.

‘God Knows’ first appeared a couple of years ago and gets a laid back revamp on here. L.A. based Trish Burke Manser provides additional vocals. It was planned that she would have featured in the video, however it wasn’t possible, hence Dave Roux steps in for her – in a dress and make-up!

It is very difficult for bands at the moment as they can’t road test new songs or indeed play songs from anything released last year. That makes it all the more satisfying to see bands like the Outlaw Orchestra try some of their existing songs in stripped back form and add in a few new songs too. This will keep their existing fans happy until live shows recommence and hopefully pull in a few new ones. ****

Review by Jason Ritchie

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions,

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

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 26 April 2026.

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). First broadcast on 21 April 2026

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen live or listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 25 May 2026

BABY JANE Midnight Highway (Sped Up) (indie)
ASTRAL ROCKS The Flame In Me (Astral Rocks Prodns.)
INDIGO SYNDICATE dwn4smr (indie)
THE SKBS The Prying Eye (indie)
AGAINST THE CURRENT Dead Man Walking (indie)
ICONIC Tears Keep On Falling (Frontiers)

Featured Albums w/c 25 May 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

Our occasional Newsletter signposts latest additions to the website(s). We also include a selection of recent top albums, based on GRTR! reviewer ratings. The newsletter is sent out a few times a year.

If you’d like to register to receive this occasional mailing please complete the form:

If using a smartphone/tablet please tap here or re-orientate your device

(Note that this registration is separate from site registration which allows you to leave comments and receive daily emails about new content. If you wish to register for this – in addition or separately – please click or tap here – for more information – the form is at the foot of each page. Please read our privacy policy when opting-in to receive emails.

Recent (last 30 days)

Album review: TARJA – Frisson Noir

Album review: BRICK BRISCOE – Found Footage

Album review: CLAIRE HAMILL BAND – A House Among The Trees

Album review : FAITH NYC – Love Is A Wish Away

Album review : THE 5th DIMENSION – Let The Sunshine In – The Soul City and Bell Albums (6CD Boxset)

Album review: VIRGINMARYS – Beyond The House of Fires

Single review: THE ROLLING STONES – In the Stars/Rough and Twisted

Album review: BEGGARS BLISS – S/t

Album review : ROBIN BECK – Living Proof

Album review: W.A.S.P. – s/t

Album review : FRONTLINE – Rebirth

Album review : VON GROOVE – Born To Rock

Single review: PARKER BARROW – Blinded

Album review : JOHN CORABI – New Day

Lady Maisery and Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith - Wakefire: A Summer Album

Album review: LADY MAISERY AND JIMMY ALDRIDGE & SID GOLDSMITH – Wakefire

Album review : DEGREED – Curtain Calls

Album review: HARDLINE – Shout

Album review: LUKE JAMES WILLIAMS – Limes Hotel

Album review : GENERATION RADIO – Take 2

Album review: JENNY COLQUITT – Pockets Full Of Rain

Album review: SOMETHING FOR THE LONGING – Scottish Independent Pop 1985-1999 (3 CDs)

Album review : CREYE – IV Aftermath

Album review : JACK BRUCE – Halfway To The Stars – The Recordings 2001-2003 (5 CD Boxset)

Album review: ELEGANT WEAPONS – Evolution

Album review: LONG DISTANCE CALLING – The Phantom Void

Album review: BEN RANDALL – Before The Rain

Thoroughbred Music [Release date: 02.04.21] www.benrandallguitar.com

For me, it’s always been about the guitar.

Back in the day, from the moment I heard Paul Kossoff’s wailing Les Paul on the early Free albums, I was hooked. Koss, Blackmore, Iommi, Peter Green, et al all moved me in mysterious ways.

And here’s another to add to the list – Ben Randall. One time plank spanker with Power Quest and Code Of Silence and collaborator with the likes of 25 Yard Screamer and Chasing The Monsoon, who has used the past two years (and the year of lockdown in particular) to pull together an epic solo guitar album of mercurial playing and astonishing virtuosity.

Although genre-bending in a way, Randall’s oeuvre places him at the centre-point of a triangle that has Joe Satriani, Carlos Santana and Yngwie J Malmsteen at its angles and ‘Before The Rain’ is not so much a debut solo album as a collection reflecting a decade of music making.

Drawing on his time with Paul Logue and Code Of Silence as well as his aforementioned collaborations, Ben has re-mixed, re-recorded and tweeked where appropriate, and put together fourteen tracks to captivate guitar nuts everywhere.

The opening track ‘Never Again’, was recorded as a demo with Chasing The Monsoon for what (eventually) became their fabulous ‘No Ordinary World’ album but was not included on the final release for some reason and features plenty of wailing guitar over a pounding beat.

The two 25 Yard Screamer tracks couldn’t be more different – ‘Mechanics Of Illusion’ features a great riff and lightning fast shredding, whereas ‘Ghost’ settles everything down with its laid back vocals, exquisite guitar and progressive rock tropes.

There are five tracks from the brilliant Code Of Silence – ‘Dark Skies Over Babylon’ album but not as we know it, Captain.

Randall has stripped out the vocals on all but one of the tracks and placed the guitar at the heart of things.

As a result, what were outstanding tracks anyway take on a new lease of life. ‘Seventh Seal’, ‘Black Abyss’ and ‘Midnight Cathedral’ sound re-born with the emphasis shifted onto the instrumentation and the guitar soaring over Scott McLean’s excellent keyboard work.

The vocals return on the unreleased single edit of ‘Dark Skies Over Babylon’s title track with Gus Monsanto and Joanna Ruiz combining to great effect on what was probably the album’s most commercial track.

And then there’s ‘Tame The Tempest’ in my opinion the best track on DSOB – with one of the finest power-riffs you’ll ever hear, Randall somehow takes it to another level with jaw-dropping guitar pyrotechnics.

The six Randall compositions display many facets of his playing – ‘Before The Rain’ and ‘Way To Burn’ are tracks Satriani would never have left off any of HIS albums, whereas ‘Love Finds A Way’ has Santana-like jazzy overtones and funky percussion.

The short ‘Reflections Of A Broken Dream’ is an effects-pedal workout and ‘Reasons For Believing’ is a guitar wig-out that reminds me of why I fell in love with the guitar in the first place.

‘Way To Burn’ and ‘Closer To The Truth’ bring the album to a fitting finale with more scorching riffs than you could shake a stick at and testament to Randall’s skills, not just with guitar in hand but also as a composer and arranger.

With Steve Kitch, The Pineapple Thief’s keyboard whizz, on mastering duties, the album sounds just as you’d want it to – right in your face and with the guitar front and centre.

All told, a breathtaking guitar album of the highest order from a player with other-worldly skills and, what’s more, an absolute blast. *****

Review by Alan Jones

Feature: Code of Silence