BLUES PILLS – Lady In Gold (2016)
It’s hard to believe “Lady In Gold” is only the second full length album by Swedish rockers BLUES PILLS but on listening to the tracks, you would think the band were seasoned veterans. Which wouldn’t be too far off if you think how active they have been since their inception 5 years ago, countless shows and a few EP’s and even a live record.
The band’s main focus are the wonderfully soulful vocals of Ellin Larsson. She channels the scorching tones of Janis Joplin and Grace Slick with a hint of Adele, yet her voice is all her own and it is glorious.
The title track gets things off with a fist in the air rock anthem. The droning keyboards form the backdrop for the electric vocals of Larsson as the song builds up to the chorus. Dorian Sorriaux’s guitar is soaked in overdriven furry fuzz and bleeds reverb and swooshing phaser giving off a strong psychedelic vibe.
Listen to the ballad ‘I Felt A Change’ and the heartfelt vocal, heck if Adele covered this it would be worldwide hit. It segues nicely into ‘Gone So Long’, another beast of a song all passion and power – Zach Anderson’s bass drives the song along nicely before the guitars usher the song out in fine style.
Blues Pills tap that retro vibe with ease for instance ‘Bad Talkers’ takes you back to bands like Jefferson Airplane. ‘You Gotta Try’ sounds like a female fronted Free with a little soul backing singers thrown into the mix.
More driving bass gets some well-deserved attention on ‘Rejection’ providing the pulsing power that propels this soulful rocking tune. The whole band is on fire with this song and I think it is one of the standout tracks on the album. Start to finish; this song embodies the soulful passion of the Blue Pills.
“Lady In Gold” showcases the soulful majesty and love of music that makes the Blue Pills a joy to listen to. An album that manages to sound modern yet retro at the same time, sounds easy but rarely pulled off in many cases.
One of the better blues rockin’ soul albums you will hear this or any other year.
01 – Lady in Gold
02 – Little Boy Preacher
03 – Burned Out
04 – I Felt a Change
05 – Gone so Long
06 – Bad Talkers
07 – You Gotta Try
08 – Won’t Go Back
09 – Rejection
10 – Elements and Things
Elin Larsson – Vocals
Dorian Sorriaux – Guitar
Zack Anderson – Bass
André Kvarnström – Drums
BUY IT !
www.nuclearblast.de/de/produkte/tontraeger/cd/cd/blues-pills-lady-in-gold.html
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