SLICK KITTY – Claws Extended (2014)
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FnA Records are releasing “Claws Extended“, the 2014 album by Canadian melodic hard rockers SLICK KITTY. This is another good band that never make it big, but deserve a close listen.
“Claws Extended” includes the band’s self-released album from 1992, plus songs recorded for their never materialized second CD.
Slick Kitty was initially formed in 1987 under the moniker ‘Limousine’. The first official gig, pyrotechnics and all, was at a club called FootLoose, on February 10 1988, with the final, solid lineup, emerging in 1991 under the new ‘cool cat’ identity.
Blending melody & hard rock with high intensity performances soon established Slick Kitty on the Toronto, Canada, area music scene. The Gasworks, Entex, Rock N Roll Heaven and legendary The El Mocambo were their usual places of concert, along with many other notable venues.
Showcasing gigs with Lee Aaron (The original Metal Queen) and Harem Scarem, lead them on the path to headlining our own venues.
At one point Slick Kitty had the president of Virgin Records Canada, Bob Muir, over for ‘afternoon tea’. He had just signed The Spoons and wanted a hard rock band on the roster. Sadly, he passed away before any contracts were signed.
Their luck changed, to some degree, after winning top prize in an ‘Album of The Month Contest’ sponsored by a popular local nightclub. Slick Kitty came out on top and were awarded the opportunity to produce a CD (entitled ‘Teezer’) but true success eluded the band.
Before breaking up in 1997 due to the usual differences bands tend to experience, another CD was in the works but never pressed to plastic. Titled ‘250/251’, it was more of a conceptual theme, but still Slick Kitty all the way.
Now, both ‘Teezer’ and the previously unheard ‘250/251’ are available as this “Claws Extended”.
The first 8 songs are from the ’92 CD, quite well produced for an indie, professionally mixed and mastered.
I really enjoyed these melodic hard rockers with an Americanized sound reminiscent of Warrant (“One Night”), late ’80s Motley Crue (“Burnin’ T’Night”) or Poison (“Long Way From Home”). Of course there’s ballads being “Till The End Of Time” a truly great one, while the highly harmonic is more in a mid-tempo acoustic way.
The songs from 250/251 are darker, and more edgy hard rock. Among the best are “Many Naked People” (with some Lynch’s Mob in it), the groovy “Not Now”, and the bluesy mid-tempo “Warning Sign”.
Kudos to FnA records for given Slick Kitty the opportunity to let the ‘cat out of the bag’ again.
“Claws Extended” is an enjoyable melodic hard rock collection of songs crafted in the heyday of the genre, well composed, performed and recorded. The band sounds tight and vocalist Maurice Fadalti has all the ‘tricks’ necessary to sing this style.
Another quite interesting band rescued from oblivion.
01 – One Night
02 – Sometimes
03 – Burnin’ T’Night
04 – Cross That Line
05 – Long Way From Home
06 – Miss Understandme
07 – Till’ The End Of Time
08 – Teezer
09 – Lost Again
10 – Many Naked People
11 – Not Now
12 – Kiss
13 – In The Shadows – 250/251
14 – Warning Sign
15 – Never Seems Like
16 – Yesterday Today And Tomorrow
Teezer (Remastered) tracks 1 through 8
250/251 – tracks 9 through 16
Maurice Fadalti – Lead Vocals
Robert Lee O’Day – Guitars, Backing Vocals
Mike LeGrow – Bass, Backing Vocals
Jeff Saulnier – Drums
BUY IT !
www.amazon.com/Claws-Extended-Slick-Kitty/dp/B00NFY1KNE
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