Red Steel Music [Release date: 12.08.22]
John Sloman’s ninth solo album is a tale of two cities. His life has been a neverending musical quest to find success and certitude. All the time torn between his hometown of Cardiff, where his heart lies, and London, where rock’n'roll ambitions are made or broken.
His stints with Uriah Heep, Lone Star, UFO and Gary Moore through the seventies and eighties enhanced his reputation as a singer, but never booked him a permanent place at the table of the rich and famous.
Two Rivers is an autobiography in song, playing one city off against the other, making lyrically poetic connections between memory and music, between youthful ambitions and the realities of life (‘This River Is A Time Machine’, ‘When I Go Home’).
He gives a poised performance on every track, using a spoken word intro each time to set the scene.
On ‘Scenes From A Biscuit Tin’ and ‘Londinium’, his sophisticated arrangements and unorthodox instrumentation reflect his Rundgren, Zappa, Beefheart influences. He creates a simple but resonating groove with bongos, shakers and harmonium drone on the first, and on the second he captures something of rock’s psychedelic phase. Cool stuff.
There’s soul here too … ‘Caerdydd, City Of The River’ a paean to his hometown, is filled out with a full throated gospel choir, flavoured with a distinct twist of Memphis. It’s a welcome distraction of attractively tailored noise in among the moody, atmospheric passages, like ‘Rest In Peace For Sylvie’, and ‘Blackweir’. Two very personal songs filled with powerful images and memorable melodies, each carrying a compelling emotional weight.
In reflecting honestly on his own experiences on Two Rivers, Sloman has created music that says something about the human condition. A rarity among rock albums. ****
Review by Brian McGowan
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
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SANDNESS Not Your Dog (Rockshots Records)
DOCTOR BLACK Drag Me Down (indie)
COHEED AND CAMBRIA Goodbye Sunshine (Virgin Music Group)
LEONI JANE KENNEDY Closer (indie)
SMALL TOWN POLITICS Red Lights (indie)
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12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
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