READ OUT LOUD (Tim Read Band) – Read Out Loud

READ OUT LOUD is the debut project from former Demon / Chrome Molly / Limehouse Lizzy guitarist Tim Read, and an absolute cracker it is too! I didn’t think they made albums like this anymore; classic Hard Rock steeped in the tradition of Blue Murder, Whitesnake, 21 Guns, Night Ranger and John Sykes with pile driving guitar riffs and solos spread liberally throughout.
Read has a strong voice as well, and all members of the Tim Read Band are stupendous, including fellow Demon members Neil Ogden (drums) and Paul Hume (who play bass & produced), whilst the keyboards of FM’s Jem Davis just add touches of genius here and there.
This is a terrific collection of melodic, ’80s inspired hard rockers from songwriting and performances to the bright production sound.

What I particularly like about this album is that it’s full of different flavours, and all of them taste quite exquisite, whether it’s the rampant piledriving riff of opener ‘Surrender’, the classic TEN feel of ‘In My Heart’ and ‘Staring At The Sun’, the wonderful mid-period Accept chugging riffs of ‘Playing With Fire’ or the decidedly Blue Murder vibe of Nowhere To Run’.

Elsewhere, there is ‘Close To You’, which starts out as a very close cousin to some Foreigner before the guitars and Hammond kick in to fairly power the song along. Also a highlight is the wonderful Thin Lizzy tribute ‘Are You Out There’ where Read channels his inner Phil Lynott.
Closer ‘Don’t Go’ opens with a total merger of Meat Loaf and The Who before mutating into a really catchy track.

Throughout the album, Read plays like a man possessed, coming across like an amalgam of John Sykes and Vinny Burns at their peak, while the Demon rhythm section of Ogden / Hume really keep things driving along. For a self-financed release, a special mention really must be made of the production and mix, all very professional.
The album was initially released at the end of 2019, then re-printed 2020, and perhaps re-printed again soon, but who cares when we are talking about timeless good rock music – the CD is still a available and it’s a very recommended purchase.
For lovers of classic Eighties Hard Rock, it doesn’t get much better than this… HIGHLY Recommended

 

01 – Surrender
02 – Waiting For The Sun
03 – Close To You
04 – The Girl Is Trouble
05 – Playing With Fire
06 – In My Heart
07 – Are You Out There?
08 – Staring At The Sun
09 – Talk To Me
10 – Nowhere To Run
11 – Take No More From You
12 – You’re My Angel
13 – Don’t Go

Tim Read (ex-Chrome Molly, Demon) – vocals, guitar
Paul Hume (Demon) – bass, producer
Neil Ogden (Demon) – drums
Jamie Cress – guitar
Jem Davis (FM) – keyboards

 

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www.readoutloudband.com/product-page/tim-read-band-read-out-loud-cd