|
|
| DATA |
|
RELEASE DATE: 2006-08-22
LABEL: Independent Release
TRACKLIST:
1. Can't Get Enough
2. Cinnamon Stone
3. Forest of the Witches
4. So Long
5. The Smell of Rock and Roll
6. Jesus Blues
7. The Rhythm of Roundness
8. Wild Horses
9. Hollywood (Weight of the World)
|
| |
|
|
The Smell of Rock and Roll
Johnny Kobra
THE REVIEW:
Johnny Kobra has made a glorious return to his roots.
The Swedish-born Kobra made his start by picking up the guitar at age 12 and playing the clubs in his homeland. After moving to Los Angeles in the late ’90s, he joined the band Mother Spirit, later scoring music for films, TV commercials and video games.
“The Smell of Rock and Roll” marks a return to his first love. It’s nine songs and 31 minutes of impassioned rock inspired by the blues and heavy on pop music sensibilities. It’s all the more impressive when you consider Kobra wrote all the songs, played all the instruments and produced the CD.
Defining the music is a thudding, propulsive drum sound and guitars that churn out vulgar melody after vulgar melody. Kobra’s voice is by no means saccharine, but the gruff exterior he exudes fits his music perfectly.
That’s most noticeable on the opener, the addictive “Can’t Get Enough.” It’s a balls-out rocker with heart. The upbeat tracks often seem the most effective, particularly the deliriously energetic “Forest of the Witches” and the urgent and unrestrained title cut, complete with some voodoo guitar language.
Kobra alters it a bit with “Jesus Blues” — as its name implies a slower, bluesier number — and the gentle soloing of “Wild Horses.” The mid-tempo aggression of “Hollywood (Weight of the World)” is a fitting close, one that makes you want to shake your ass off.
“The Smell of Rock and Roll” possesses all the qualities that made the ’80s a consummate decade for rock music. Johnny Kobra has achieved a timeless sound without seeming retro or ironic, but perfectly genuine.
BY: Wade Coggeshall (WadeTheBlade) on 2006-08-31
RANK:
 
|
