Possessing more in common with the Southwest of the US than the South East of England when it comes to attire and more importantly music, The Doel Brothers ‘Oh, Brother…It’s The Doel Brothers!’ transports the listener to an era of western swing, honkytonk, hillbilly boogie and rockabilly. What transpires during the course of this album is the seemingly effortless manner in which the three brothers David, Gordon, Tom and odd man out Gary churn out a stream of short sharp ditties packed with intricate details that reveals a wealth of experience at the heart of this engine. Listen out for the fingerpicking delight that is ‘Educated Mind’ with its intriguing lyrics suggesting an imbalance when it comes to experience and a relationship. The spring in its step of ‘Kissin Bug Boogie’ brings a smile to the face whereas the more rockabilly inspired ‘Tell Me You’re Mine’ weighs heavy at the other end of the scale due to being full of pent-up (sexual) frustration. The moonshine corks are popped during ‘Whiskey Lovin’ Fool’ sang to perfection with occasional hillbilly croon and revealing edges of humour yet fully aware that there is a serious problem at heart. There is such a delightful lilting quality to this whole album that leaves one hankering for days gone by. Embrace these guys with open arms because The Doel Brothers deserve the upmost respect.

Not particularly renowned for wild-sounding rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll, but in the instance of Sonny Tucker and The Tornados Switzerland has something to cheer about. Armed with fourteen rockin’ tracks, ‘Wild Wild Lover’ begins in guitar pickin’ fashion and a superb authentic vocal calling for a “rock with the Tornados, rock the whole night long” because there really is no other way once this song gets under your skin. The mood takes a more downbeat turn during the reflective ‘Don’t Hang Around Me Anymore’ with guitars slowing to a mid-tempo rhythm, edges slightly twanging and adding to the melancholy. This sombre tone is enhanced further with the closing refrain held during ‘I Don’t Care’; “Goodbye my sweetheart, see you down in hell” warbled to great effect and sounding as black as ash in its utter contempt. Title track, ‘Wild Wild Lover’ is played out to steady thunderous beats before breaking loose in a fit of despair once the lover in question has departed to pastures new. ‘Did You Mean Jelly Bean’ reveals another facet to Sonny Tucker’s vocals as it delightfully rumbles out to slight exaggeration the chorus and handled by some serious dexterous guitar. If it’s wild rock ‘n’ roll you’re searching for, then the self-explanatory ‘The House Is Rockin’ will leave you gaping in sheer awe before being brought back down to earth with the Hawaiian sway of ‘Lovers Rock’. Not only is ‘Wild Wild Lover’ an exhilarating ride of wild rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll, but it constantly screams out as a reminder that Sonny Tucker and The Tornados is ‘the’ band to experience live during the coming months.

One of the highlights during this year’s Western Star Records birthday bash, The Kings of Outer Space extend their space fantasies further with ‘How To Fly A Rocket’. Paul Newman, aka Greggsy, of Western Star’s other hot cats The Cheaterslicks continues his association on bass duties and in the process leaving the more-than-capable frontman duties to the charismatic Giggsy to spin yarns of paranoia and obsessions. It is these very subjects that line the walls of opening ’44’ with its use of accordion – yes, accordion – gripping the senses and equally compelling lyrics concerning a fixation of OCD sized proportions regarding the number in question. Such obsessions spill over into the rockin’ ‘Fall From Grace’ only the fixation this time is with the opposite sex or alien species, depending on your interpretation,  ‘moving to the rhythm of the drums and bass’. ‘Daggertrap’ shakes things up in a full-on instrumental romp consisting of driving bass and raucous guitars occasionally crawling up and down the red-hot scales to spine-tingling effect. ‘Monkey Alarm’ is the not too distant relation of ‘Ghost Town’, from first album ‘Cosmic Debris’, as one can almost hear the desperate pleas of “Gotta get away” only this time it’s emanating from a group of monkeys subjected to the cruelties of BMX testing! Such injections of humour is part of the appeal of The Kings of Outer Space but also their open nature to experimentation such as the odd little ditty ‘Creepy Crawl’, sounding as if fronted by Terry Hall, to the sprightly banjo of ‘Long Dry Summer’ and topped off in fantastic fashion by the excellent and warped doo wop harmonising of ‘Moon Buggy Baby’. The Kings of Outer Space return where they left off, as ‘How To Fly A Rocket’ is on an equal par with its debut, which is fine praise indeed.

Either there is a cleverly formulated master plan afoot here or The RedHot Trio is blissfully unaware of the confused signals they are transmitting. Walking out from underneath a blanket of darkness, the artwork gracing the Trio’s ‘Perdition’ is more akin to that of a heavy rock band rather than the sauntering Johnny Cash-inspired ditties on offer. The only real indication of the wildness suggested by the exterior arrives in the shape of the superbly boisterous ‘Devil Woman’ with its red-hot guitars and occasional hollers. From then on in, The RedHot Trio pull off the unexpected by driving into mid-tempo territory and, in the process, reveal a succession of jaw-dropping numbers. Look no further than the on/off love affair of ‘Whiskey Train’ or the rolling down the tracks of ‘Unspoken Words’ to the deep regret flowing through ‘Letter To Donna Jayne’ in order to understand that there is great talent at work. Marinated in western flavours ‘Day By Day’ and ‘My Old Guitar’ nearly reach the summit, especially the latter with its wondrous brass instrumentation, only to give way to the guitar picking and quirky instrumental that is ‘The Mental Breakdown’. If The RedHot Trio can reproduce or better songs of this magnitude, then the next instalment is one to savour. As it stands, ‘Perdition’ is a beguiling collection of songs from a genuinely gifted set of musicians.

Hailing from the West Midlands, The Magnificatz ‘Running Late’, a thirteen track album of original neo-rockabilly material, was apparently recorded in ‘complete takes’ which definitely has a grain of truth about it during ‘Baby’s Gone’ as one can almost hear lead vocalist Tim Jackson nearly lose composure as laughter almost gets the better of him. In fact, this album possesses bags of charm whether it’s songs about finding love at a party for the dearly departed ‘Dead Man’s Ball’, the lyrically soured yet utterly addictive and departing down the tracks of ‘There You Go’ or Tim Jackson’s unconventional vocal best heard on the lurking in the shadows paranoia of ‘Cat Come Scratching’. Willing to cast bets on The Cramps being a source of inspiration for the songs comprising ‘Running Late’, it remains, however, this fascination with all things lingering on the darker, greasier side of life coupled with the intentional simplistic sounding nature of the band’s songs that sets The Magnificatz apart.

With an eponymously titled debut album in the offing consisting of fourteen tracks of authentic rockabilly – thirteen of which are self-penned – new recruits to the Rhythm Bomb roster, Carolina & her Rhythm Rockets seem set to follow in the footsteps of label mates Marc & the Wild Ones as ones to watch in 2013. Being only of tender age yet sounding as if they have been producing these rockin’ tunes for a lot longer, such is their aptitude for songwriting, Carolina & her Rhythm Rockets debut is an accomplished affair yet nicely balanced with a slightly rough around the edges approach that is guided by the rather aptly titled ‘Walk With Me’ that literally leads the listener into the heart of this work with its occasional vocal hiccups, handclaps and dexterous guitar. It is that VOCAL, however, that really defines this four-piece band from Germany due to its immense power that clearly states its intent during ‘Be Mine’ and crystal clear demands of ‘Treat Me Right’ (‘well if you want me don’t be bad’). There is simply not much room to come up for air as Carolina & her Rhythm Rockets maintain the rockin’ momentum in a blistering array of rawness ‘Can’t Stop Boppin’, ‘Looking Up’, ‘Waiting’ that will leave you gaping in awe. If this is the sound of the rising underground of rockabilly talent, then FLW will struggle to contain its excitement as Carolina & her Rhythm Rockets have already reached the stars.