THE MOOD GROOVE (JK Northrup) – Some Left, Some Stayed (2020-2021)
After a really cool self-titled debut, THE MOOD GROOVE, the super group formed by JK Northrup (Gypsy Soul, King Kobra, XYZ), singer Ed Balldinger, bassist Larry Hart (King Kobra, Montrose) and drummer Glen Hicks (Shortino-Northrup) are back with second effort “Some Left, Some Stayed“.
The guys contunue with their infectious blend of hard rock, heavy funk, blues, progressive, and more. They are helped by the likes of Eric Ragno (The Babys, Graham Bonnet) providing keyboards and others to create an entertaining piece of rock n’ roll.
Concept albums by definition can be quite pretentious and full of themselves. Having an entire album dedicated to a story can sometimes be too much for a listener to connect too. Plus, trying to make every song fit the concept can be hard to make… well, good!
For every The Wall (Pink Floyd) and Misplaced Childhood (Marillion) we have a bunch of (fill in the blank) with your least favorite concept album.
For the Mood Groove, the concept on “Some Left, Some Stayed” is pretty easy to follow… a night at a club or hall with a band just playing some great songs that have a common thread, but manage to be unique in their own way.
“Some Left, Some Stayed” has a M.C. that sets the tone for the ‘show’. Like any good live band, the ‘set list’ has a great running order of songs like ‘Loop Out’, ‘Peace Of Mind’ and ‘Transistor Bath House’ (my favorite on the album) all having a real free flow / jam style going on that really makes you feel you are listening to a live band in a loud, hot, sweaty venue. On stage anything can happen, and here anything does happen.
JK Northrup has created a super cool and very easy to get into vibe.The album is quite original and modern with some nods (at least to my ears) to Extreme’s electro-funk, Sammy Hagar, Black Crowes, and a bit of Led Zeppelin, so you get a lot to listen to… without trying to hard.
Fun stuff indeed.
Sometimes musicians try too hard or want to always say something with their music. Here The Mood Groove just wants to say “hey man, listen to this album, and let all your cares just melt away. Peace.”
Highly Recommended
01 – (Welcome To The Show)
02 – Loop Out
03 – Old Myth Hippie
04 – Peace Of Mind
05 – Transistor Bath House
06 – (Intermission)
07 – Ominous Anonymous Enemy Anemone Anomaly
08 – Suicidal Jesus
09 – Some Sum
10 – Parkway Atheist
11 – Numb Tongue, Stiff Lip
12 – (Roll The Credits)
JK Northrup (guitars, backing vocals)
Ed Balldinger (lead vocals, acoustic guitar)
Larry Hart (bass)
Glenn Hicks (drums)
with:
Eric Ragno – Keyboards (The Babys, Graham Bonnet)
Paul Holdgate – Lead and Backing Vocals (Montrose)
Randy Scoles – Lead and Backing Vocals (Montrose)
Steve Brown – Backing Vocals (Montrose, Oleander)
Diana Short – Backing Vocals (Red Sky Sunrise)
Buddy Davis – Backing Vocals
BUY IT
www.amazon.com/Some-Left-Stayed-Mood-Groove/dp/B08L612CRB
