Tour Of the Americas - 80.81 Album Sampler
www.2ferrecords.com
www.lovemonk.net
One of the most important influences to great rock and roll that is now overlooked is soul. Soul music was born out of the mix of gospel (the sacred) and R&B (the profane), so there’s a strong emphasis on vocals as the melodic force, combined with the raw emotionality of R&B. In differing degrees, soul and R&B form the basis of rock and roll. In case that sounds too removed from what you call rock and roll, bands like The Who, The Sonics, or The Stooges have an R&B base. Bands like The Jam or The Dirtbombs have a more soul based sound. Of course, this is all in varying degrees with nobody being almost exclusively one influence, but maybe one more than the other. More importantly, soul and R&B are the basis for rock ’n roll, at least the majority of what we like to call good rock ’n roll.
Spain’s The Right Ons are some great rockers who love their soul, which means they have an emphasis on vocal style, but still will rock and groove you. The first track off the the tour sampler is "Do Your Thing, Babe," with drummer/vocalist Ramiro Nieto taking the vocal lead while guitartist/vocalist Alvaro Guzman steps into it, then second guitarist/vocalist Rafa Fernandez steps in to complete the picture. They get so funky and rocking at the same time that you’re going to look for the nearest cute girl in the room when you hear it, grab her and proceed to shake your booty while singing along "Na na na na na na na na!" The following "Pretty Slick" gets a little heavier with some distortion, backwards chord strumming from Alfaro, and some hot but never over the top licks from Rafa Fernandez and some definitely "shakin’" maracas. It’s guitar based funk, which is to the point since they ask "Girl, can you make it funk?" in the song. Other tracks like "Sometime" settle into John Rodo’s deep, funky bass groove that lets drummer/vocalist Ramiro Nieto keep the beat and pushes the blues out at the same time. That’s no small feat.
When soul music is pushed to its limit, it becomes a wail, a lament, and a plea that starts at the heart, but passes through your guts, giving the urgency and the occasional scratch. I guess it could be called "singing your heart out." Ramiro Nieto doesn’t just get the job done on "Walking On the River" from the opening command "Easy!" to "All I gotta know is that I want, want more. It never is enough so I gotta push a little bit har, har, harder," but shows that he and The Right Ons are the real thing: Great soul rock ’n roll with deep vocals that pull and that also push into the profane, as expressed in the last lyrical example from "Walking To the River," smooth beats, and guitar that can range from smooth to choppy and then feedbacked while still accentuating the real power of soul, which lies in the hands of the vocalist to express it.
Since The Right Ons have only played in The States for the past month, their music is presently hard to come by. They have one full length CD out now that one can purchase at www.lovemonk.net for the unreasonably steep price of $22.14. The good news is that they have a distribution deal. So if you add them to your friends, you’ll know when "80.81" becomes available stateside. If rock ’n roll flavored soul is your thing, it will be worth finding out when the full length CD/album becomes available.
Upcoming Shows
Apr 11 2008 8:00P BNS Club Santander, Cantabria
Apr 12 2008 8:00P Sala Oxido Guadalajara, Guadalajara
Apr 18 2008 8:00P Boogaclub Granada, Granada
Apr 19 2008 8:00P Iroquai Jaen, Jaén
Apr 20 2008 8:00P Código de Barras Almansa
Jun 27 2008 9:00P Rock In Rio Madrid (Hot Stage) Arganda, Madrid
The Right Ons - Do, Your Thing, Babe!br>..
No comments:
Post a Comment