Record Reviews

SAVOY BROWN ~ AIN`T DONE YET QUATRO VALLEY 0129 (Barcode: 805859074123) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 2020 Released: 2020 The title says it all; the unstoppable Blues machine called Savoy BrownFind albums by this artist is rolling on in its sixth decade bravely led by vocalist / guitarist Kim SimmondsFind albums by this artist, currently in a trio lineup with bassist Pat DesalvoFind albums by this artist and drummer Garnet GrimmFind albums by this artist. The new album presents ten original songs, all by Simmonds. Despite the limitations that the Blues format imposes on the music, the idiom is alive and kicking sounding healthier than most of it children within the Pop and Rock idioms, proving the "if it ain´t broke don´t fix it" advice. This music does not sound much different from what Savoy Brown and the entire Blues Revival generation played in the 1960, and yes it still manages to sound fresh and exciting, provides the listener is a Blues enthusiast of course. Simmonds, perhaps not the most spectacular Blues Rock guitarist of the class of Peter GreenFind albums by this artist, Rory GallagherFind albums by this artist or Jimi HendrixFind albums by this artist, manages to produce the unmistakable "Blues guitar sound", which works for our generation like nothing else and he has one undeniable advantage – he is still alive and kicking. For the numerous Savoy Brown fans and followers this album is as enjoyable and exciting as everything else the group produced over the years; they just can´t go wrong. Warmly recommended!

Updated: 30/09/2020Posted: 30/09/2020

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SAVOY BROWN ~ BLUES ALL AROUND QUATRO VALLEY 0165 (Barcode: 805859088724) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 2022 Released: 2023 This is an album by legendary British Blues band Savoy BrownFind albums by this artist, founded in 1965 by guitarist / vocalist / composer Kim SimmondsFind albums by this artist. The album was recorded in a trio setting with bassist Pat DesalvoFind albums by this artist and drummer Garnet GrimmFind albums by this artist and was completed shortly before Simmonds died in December 2022, aged seventy-five, and was released posthumously. The album presents twelve original songs, all by Simmons. As the music proves, Simmonds never lost any of his great feeling for the Blues and his recorded legacy, which spans dozens of albums, has no weak spots, despite the ever changing lineup of the band. His vocals and especially his unique guitar playing remain an everlasting statue of the Blues-Rock idiom, which proves that Europeans can write and play the Blues every bit as well as musicians from across the pond. Overall, with the sadness accompanying the departure of the iconic figure of Simmonds, this album is a great testimony of his creative powers and a proper “closing” of his titanic career, although more of his recording are bound to pop up in the future. Absolutely not to be missed, this is an instant Blues classic.

Updated: 16/03/2023Posted: 16/03/2023

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SAVOY BROWN ~ CITY NIGHT QUATRO VALLEY 0114 (Barcode: 805859068528) ~ UK ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 2019 Released: 2019 Fifty years (and forty albums) after I heard Kim SimmondsFind albums by this artist and his Savoy BrownFind albums by this artist band for the first time in London sometime in 1969, he is still very much alive and kicking, as this album proves beyond any doubt. In time Savoy Brown became an icon of British Blues-Rock, although the band achieved success primarily in the US and Germany. The preferred modus operandi of Simmonds these days is a Blues power trio, like the one heard here, with Simmonds playing guitar and delivering the vocals, accompanied by bassist Pat DesalvoFind albums by this artist and drummer Garnet GrimmFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve original songs, all written by Simmonds. Simmonds is perhaps not the greatest, and surely not the most famous guitar player around, but his true forte is the incredible consistency both as a player and a songwriter, which over time amassed an incredible amount of great tunes and hours on end of superb Blues guitar performances. Starting as part of the British Blues Revival and the birth of the Blues-Rock idiom, Savoy Brown was able to hold the candle of the genre for generations, with obvious ups and downs but always genuinely sincere and classy. Although the Blues is an a priori limited musical playground, with clearly defined rules and regulations, human ingenuity proves that in spite of these limitations there is an infinite universe of music which can be created within them. Blues-Rock, now in its sixth decade, continues to daze and confuse all of us on a daily basis and thanks to Artists like Simmonds and his Gibson Les Paul guitar the scorching tones keep penetrating directly into our hearts. Overall this is a superb and true to the source Blues-Rock album, which should satisfy completely all the connoisseurs of the genre and wet the lips of all guitar freaks around the globe. To Kim, all I can say is Godspeed and please don´t you ever change!

Updated: 10/07/2019Posted: 10/07/2019

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