SCOTT WEILAND and the WILDABOUTS – Blaster (2015)

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Although blessed with a long and successful career fronting mega bands like Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver, it can seem that Scott Weiland’s extra-curricular activities have somewhat overshadowed his musical contributions but it cannot be denied that there is a reason for his longevity and popularity (44 million albums sold so far).
2015, he is back with SCOTT WEILAND and the WILDABOUTS, and their debut CD “Blaster” released yesterday.

With a varied collection of solo efforts under his belt already, Weiland wanted a ‘real band sound’ and formed The Wildabouts, aiming to obtain, described by the man himself, a ‘rocking… sexy… furry’ output.
There is no doubt that “Blaster” stylistically fits into the works of Stone Temple Pilots but it has added fuzz and a dirty retro sound that conjures images of beautiful people in packed clubs getting hot and steamy.
I think ‘glam’ is the best word to paint Weiland & The Wildabouts sound: Stone Temple Pilots blended with a quite rocking retro glam style.

The funked up envelope filter riff of ‘Modzilla’ and ‘Way She Moves’ set the tone for “Blaster”, dirty riffs coupled with sweet backing vocals and Weiland’s unmistakable voice taking the reins.
‘Amethyst’ starts with a dreamy intro morphing into a driving rocker that features a cool echo-drenched guitar solo courtesy of Jeremy Brown. He and the other Wildabouts, bassist Tommy Black and drummer Danny Thompson keep things tight but free enough to put groove in these tunes, and producer Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) captures the energy and emotion well.
In fact, The Wildabouts sound great, tight, and grand part the reason these songs sound so nicely.

The songwriting is pretty strong and even at its prettiest Weiland’s pop nous keeps it on the right side of sweet for ‘Blue Eyes’ and only dips into the saccharin once on ‘Beach Pop’.
The mentioned glam influence is present on the cover of T. Rex’s ’20th Century Boy’, and the more modern sounding ‘White Lightning’, one of the best tracks on the album for me.

As alluded to by the cover art of a retro boombox, “Blaster” is a record that rocks pretty good, combining STP melodies with a clear nod to Seventies glam. If you liked Scott Weiland ‘sober’ era, this one does not disappoints.

In a macabre twist of fate, “Blaster” will be remembered in years to come by a sad event: The Wildabouts’ guitarist Jeremy Brown passed away yesterday – the day the band’s debut album “Blaster” was released. R.I.P.

01 – Modzilla
02 – Way She Moves
03 – Hotel Rio
04 – Amethyst
05 – White Lightning
06 – Blue Eyes
07 – Bleed Out
08 – Youth Quake
09 – Beach Pop
10 – Parachute
11 – 20Th Century Boy
12 – Circles

Scott Weiland – vocals
Jeremy Brown – guitars (RIP)
Tommy Black – bass
Danny Thompson – drums

BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Blaster-Scott-Weiland-Wildabouts/dp/B00UILTPK2
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