SWEET F.A. – Stick To Your Guns [Japan HR-HM 1000 Vol.4 series] (2022) HQ

Universal Music Japan has started this year another campaign of their ‘HR/HM 1000‘ series, that meaning the reissue of long time out of print albums from their Hard Rock / Heavy Metal catalog at the price of 1000 Yen = about 9 USD.
As part of the 2022 HR-HM 1000 Vol.4 series the label has reissued ”Stick To Your Guns”, the rocking 1989 album from Indiana’s 4-piece SWEET F.A. These guys were amusingly different from the hair metal crowd from the era, musically a clever mix raw LA sleazy hard rock, southern blues, and poppish melodic at the same time. They deserved a higher place through the high quality output of this album.
With a big, fat production courtesy of Howard Benson (Bang Tango, Santana), SWEET F.A. rocks with singer Steven DeLeong giving an old school David Lee Roth vocal style, a dueling guitar pyrotechnics of guitarists Jon “Lightning” Huffman & James Thunder – who together were affectionately dubbed “Thunder and Lightning” because of their on stage fury – and the rock-steady rhythm section of Jim Quick and Tricky Lane.

SWEET F.A. didn’t need make-up and hairspray. We’re talking about natural good looks, guys with cocksure smiles to melt many a groupies fluttering heart. These guys had it dow with their live act. Most other bands of this nature were too busy primping and worrying about how many shares of AquaNet to invest in rather than hone their musical chops to the abilities displayed by SWEET F.A. at the time.

The two starting tracks, “Prince of The City” and “Nothin’ For Nothin” are wonderful party igniters, with big punchy choruses and thrilling solos.
SWEET F.A. rocks hard and as proof check out “Rhythm Of Action”, “Daily Grind”, “Whiskey River” and the pulsating “I Love Women”. Many songs were squeezed with blues-influenced and southern rock composition such as “Do A Little Drivin” or the acoustically filled number named after the band’s favorite drink, “Southern Comfort”.
Talking about commercial songs, don’t miss the midtempo rock sugar title track “Stick To Your Guns” and the power ballad “Heart of Gold”, which has a slight feel of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Thank You’.

This album rocks from start to finish, and has everything an ’80s US hard rock fan could possibly ask for. Sweet F.A. looked good, sounded killer, and wrote excellent tunes, but fame sadly eluded them.
A very welcomed reissue.
Highly Recommended

 

01 – Prince of the City
02 – Nothin’ for Nothin’
03 – Rhythm of Action
04 – Do a Little Drivin’
05 – Daily Grind
06 – Stick to Your Guns
07 – Whiskey River
08 – I Love Women
09 – Breakin’ the Law
10 – Heart of Gold
11 – Devil’s Road
12 – Southern Comfort

Steven David DeLong – vocals
Jon “Lightning” Huffman – guitar and backing vocals
James Thunder – guitar and backing vocals
Jim Quick – bass
Tricky Lane – drums and percussion
with:
Howard Benson – keyboards
Jeffrey Baker – Mississippi saxophone

 

BUY
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-79795