Album review: RICH HOPKINS AND LUMINARIOS – My Way Or The Highway

RICH HOPKINS AND LUMINARIOS - My Way Or The Highway

Blue Rose [Release date 27.01.17]

You can tell a ‘serious’ musician when their album credits lists both the guitars and amplifiers they use, but Tuscon guitar slinger and songwriter Rich Hopkins comes across as one laid back dude.

He might have a ‘lazy’ vocal style, and might not engage in any modern day guitar pyrotechnics, but there’s a southern rock ‘feel good’ factor reminiscent of Lynyrd Skynyrd or Neil Young in their prime that just oozes from his playing.

With his bands SideWinders, Sand Rubies, and, since 1992, Luminarios he’s averaged an at least an album every two years since 1987. And while he may be a well-kept secret in the UK and at home, it would seem that German audiences have picked up on his attributes.

But it’s only relatively recently that he’s teamed up (band wise, and matrimonially) with Texan born singer / songwriter Lisa Novak who shares co-writing credits throughout My Way Or The Highway.

There’s a relaxed Tom Petty vibe that permeates a set peppered with some exquisite guitar playing and lovely harmony vocals. Novak takes occasional lead vocals as on ‘Want You Around’ – a terrific up-tempo jangling number reminiscent of 10,000 Maniacs / Lone Justice supplemented by some wonderfully loose jammed lead guitar lines. It’s classic American rock.

‘If You Want To’ has that loose, rootsy, Skynyrd groove with the guitar lines building and building like a pressure cooker about to blow. And while I was initially sceptical of the cameo of Tuscon hip-hopper Cesar Aguirre on ‘Meant For Mo”, several listens in, it’s a perfect example of how to bridge two seemingly incompatible genres.

Fast forward to ‘Chan Kah’, and ‘Gnashing Of Teeth’ – two more wonderfully organic, guitar fuelled numbers that bring the album towards a mesmerising close and, there you have it, an album full of heart and soul and some of the most free flowing guitar playing you’ll hear this year. ****

Review by Pete Whalley

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

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.

How to Listen Live?

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

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

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 again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

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)