Ivy Music Company [Release date : 16.02.24]

Albert Cummings is back with his 11th album called ‘Strong’. It reaffirms his blue collar and rock-blues credentials, while breaking new ground by carefully balancing emotionally charged, guitar driven aggression with lyrically fuelled introspection.

It’s an album full of story telling narratives which are interwoven with steely riffs, sumptuous tones and some of his very best singing, on a handful of broken relationship songs that are book-ended by a poignant ode to his sister.

His guitar playing ranges from subtle funk, via punchy shuffles to moments of outright swagger, albeit he also reigns in his versatile style on the deftly played acoustic numbers, and extends a lovely use of tone, touch and feel on a cover of Jimmy Oden’s ‘Going Down Slow’.

If his last album called ‘10’ included enough country influences to embrace Nashville, then ‘Strong’ rocks harder, though he sensibly places the emphasis on his expansive vocal phrasing.

His songs sometimes tread a thin line between exclamatory, ironic and even humorous confessionals, which at times act as a cathartic release.

In doing so, he is able to make even the most rudimentary lyrics of the opening ‘Emmylou’ sound interesting and humorous, even when he’s singing about: “A little hot sauce on my sunny side up.”

The title track is a funky barometer of what to expect of an album peppered with broken relationships as their theme. He’s full of self affirmative lyrics which on the title track act as a personal mission statement: “Live on be strong and take everyday as it comes.”

The booming call and response bv’s serve to double the impact.

He also combines lyrical ebullience with guitar-led swagger on the optimistic ‘Looking Up’, while he really digs deep on the self explanatory ‘Just About Enough’, which combines acoustic and slide nuances with a tough husky voice.

Predictably perhaps, the theme is that of another bad relationship song, but he has the vocal versatility to bring gravitas to the lyrics, either side of some crashing chords.

He opts for a slow building solo on a portentous song that doesn’t quite bring the expected resolution.

He’s at his best on an exuberant rocker called ‘Fallen For You’, which musically evokes John Fogerty, while he cleverly turns the title on its head by asking: “Do you think you might have fallen too?”

The concluding spiralling solo is the stuff of classic Albert Cummings.

He asks much of his vocal range on the well crafted ballad, ‘Lately’, which has southern rock opening, before he drops down to a lower vocal register to explore a well crafted song.

And just when you think he’s revealed all his styles and arrangements, there’s an unexpected tempo change at the 2.25 minute mark, which serves to highlight lyrical contrast

And if that song illustrates his vocal versatility, he saves his best for the atmospheric ‘Let It Burn’.

He frames another great vocal performance with subtle feedback which pushes him towards a psychedelic finish, topped by cool, shimmering organ chords

His slick sequencing gives the album a relaxed flow and provides a perfect backdrop for his incisive guitar playing.

He tightens things up on the riff driven funk of ‘Get Busy’. It’s a stripped down piece on which he fills the spaces with magisterial guitar playing, including a final ripping solo which could have gone on longer.

For the rest, despite its clichéd theme, ‘Bad Reputation’ makes its mark with drone like riffery and tautly repeated notes, while his lyrical variation on McCartney’s ‘Why Don’t We Do It In The Road’, sounds almost like a filler when compared to the deep emotion of the closing ‘My Sister’s Guitar’.

On balance, I’d venture AC fans will welcome this album’s return to Albert’s rock-blues foundations. And if he’s a few songs short of the perfect album, his fiery playing and confident vocal attack enables him to strike an enjoyable equilibrium on a quality rock-blues album. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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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)