To mark fifty years of hit records in the music business, Ottar ‘Big Hand’ Johansen celebrates this landmark occasion with a brand new album. To give this latest record the title that is befitting of its status, ‘Big Hand – 50 Years On The Road’ sees one of Norway’s leading lights of country music reignite his passion for this particular genre. By teaming up with other artists including Claudia Scott, Too Far Gone, Billy T Band among others, the majority of songs making up this latest album are original compositions, which have received a working hand from the additional musicians involved in this project. There is definitely a nostalgic feel to the ten compositions making up ‘Big Hand – 50 Years On The Road’, which naturally extends from Ottar Johansen’s vast experience of living and breathing the dream as a singer-songwriter. Therefore, it’s no surprise that you have song titles by the name of ‘Honky Tonks We’ve Known’, ‘Just Like In The 50s’ and ‘Follow My Dream’. However, there is room for forward thinking here as well with two songs that bookend this album; namely, recent single ‘Starting All Over Again’, steel strings gleaming as it maintains a relaxed pace and in line with the reflective stance of the song, and ‘Carry On’ with its campfire confessions going long into the night by way of several of its collaborators and Ottar Johansen leading the line. The creativeness continues once the engaging ‘Outlaws’ makes its entrance and proceeds to identify itself by means of a surly expression, dexterous guitar playing and detailed punctuations of harmonica. In fact, it’s this very song that suggests Ottar Johansen is far from thinking about hanging up his Stetson and packing away his collection of guitars in their respective cases because there’s a sense of mischief to this song, which transforms itself to a sprightly energy during the aforementioned, ‘Just Like In The 50s’ and the “We’ve still got it attitude” of ‘Honky Tonks We’ve Known’. A remarkable comeback, ‘Big Hand – 50 Years On The Road’ celebrates the past yet is equally keen to focus on the present with a few ideas that suggest Ottar Johansen is ready for the next creative venture once the dust settles on this celebratory chapter.

Scotland’s…no, make that the world’s hardest working band King King return with their third studio album, ‘Reaching For The Light’. Return is not really the correct choice of word here as the band, comprising of Alan Nimmo (vocals/guitar), Lindsay Coulson (bass), Wayne Proctor (drums) and Bob Fridzema (keyboards), has hardly been away after a successful 2014, which saw the plaudits rain down on them at the British Blues Awards with accolades for Best Album and Best Band as well as successful headline shows and serving as support act for John Mayall. With no time for rest, King King ended up writing the majority of ‘Reaching For The Light’ when the odd day presented itself from an otherwise busy touring schedule; hence the aforementioned title bestowed upon them of hardest working band. It’s not all about hard work when it comes to King King as they have proven time and again that they have the skills and musicianship to match in the toolbox marked blues-rock. While such a label can be applied to album number three, there is a definite shift in tempo with a number of tracks taking a more reflective stance backed with calmer rhythms. Opening song ‘Hurricane’, however, is at odds with such a description as it’s a pounding rock number that backs Alan Nimmo’s explanation of King King’s tendency of “delving more into a classic rock style” during the making of ‘Reaching For The Light’. A similar approach is given to the rocky guitar that does a perfect job of cranking up the emotions of ‘Rush Hour’. The previously mentioned blues-rock makes an appearance, but not as directly as before because it’s the greater influence of rock music that takes overall charge and where this song differs from their previous works. For our money though, ‘Reaching For The light’ reveals its strengths during its less hasty moments, with such examples as the tender ballad ‘Lay With Me’ and mild, soulful rhythm of ‘Waking Up’ that really shows a desire to get back up on its feet due to coming to its senses. Pick of a very good bunch, however, is reserved for ‘You Stopped The Rain’ which finds Alan Nimmo in contemplative mode, revealing a genuine fragility in his vocals as he’s full of admiration for the person at the centre of this song undergoing such adversity. Rather than holding steadfast to a tried and trusted formula that has provided successful to date, King King up their game by throwing a few more ingredients into the melting pot, which shows their fondness for classic rock, but also reveals a tender side that really does show the band at their best.

Just before anyone gets all hot under the collar, the indie tag applied to Carl Bradychok’s self-titled debut album reflects both the status of this release (i.e. independent) in addition to the pick ‘n’ mix of genres chosen. Rightly, as its press release declares, the man at the centre of this long player feels a sense of unease at the thought of being ‘clumped in to one genre of music’ with rockabilly being the main source of contention here. Negative connotations aside, there are examples as clear as daylight where rockabilly exerts its influence, with the intent held of ‘Do Me No Wrong’ being one of the most obvious candidates. Elsewhere, the confident swagger in the rhythm of, ‘The Way I Walk’ complete with nice backing vocals, is balanced appropriately with the opposite sound of ‘Please Give Me Something’, due to the edginess of the guitars with hints of Johnny Burnette and The Rock ‘N Roll Trio, and occasional hollers in the lead vocal adding to the pleading nature of this particular song. Having indicated a definite pulse to the aforementioned track, the country ‘Your Cheatin’ Heart’ falls flat due to a lack of conviction in the vocals. Balance is soon restored, however, with the excellent instrumental ‘Malaga’ with Bradychok this time allowing his guitar to do the talking. ‘You Ask Me To’ allows for more country but offers a different approach with its singular vocal kicking things off, before walking the listener through what sounds like a personal song where great affection is expressed. Country is the obvious choice when presented with the song title ‘Heartaches By The Number’, which contains some clever lyrics when counting through the number of distresses involved. With two more instrumentals presenting themselves – ‘Double Agent’ and ‘After Five’ – and concluding with the philosophical ‘End Of The World’ which, by the way, is the clearest indicator that Bradychok’s music is anything but straight rockabilly considering its American alternative-rock (and pop) references. The debut album by Carl Bradychok is to be admired for its technical abilities, strong song writing and for its daring to include broader references that should appeal to a wider audience rather in the same way that one Brian Setzer has managed so successfully.

Taking the listener on an orbit around planet bop is The Satellites with their ‘The Space Sessions’ long player. Steeped in an authentic rockabilly sound with added blues, The Satellites offer eleven songs to keep those entertained who are willing to accompany them on this 50s-styled galactic mission rocketing back in time. First stop is the foot-tapping rhythm of appropriately titled ‘Satellite Bop’,  which then sees the band take a slight detour with a cover of The Dreamers melding of doo-wop and rockabilly ‘Ding Dong (Du-Wadi-Wadi)’. The choice of cover songs remains impeccable throughout and offers a voyage of discovery for those looking to delve further in relation to the history books, with The Satellites applying a highly engaging version of ‘Farmer John’ and followed by a bit of the blues with a slightly pepped up take of Joe Hill Louis’ ‘Keep Your Arms Around Me’. Despite this album being heavily reliant on covers, ‘The Space Sessions’ never dips in terms of its overall appeal because the band has clearly done its homework by selecting a few obscurities that are no doubt hugely popular with The Satellites, but also difficult to find in relation to their original 45 status. For those looking to be transported back to a 50s era, then The Satellites ‘The Space Sessions’ is a journey worth taking.

Latest addition to the recording stable of West Yorkshire’s Monster Jaw is ‘The Basement Sessions EP’. Having written, recorded and produced all four of the tracks making up this EP, the trio of Mik Davis, Neil Short and John Bradford secluded themselves for a two month period in a rented basement in order to complete this latest project. Calling on the experience of Justin Sullivan, from legendary post-punk outfit New Model Army, to help out with mixing and mastering, ‘The Basement Sessions EP’ sees Monster Jaw taking another step forward in their musical progression. Such progress can be seen from the unique stance of the entire recording process, which saw the band make use of a Tascam 688 chrome tape home recording studio in an attempt to capture something close to a live experience. With this plan dubbed “a very brave idea” from those working in the music industry, according to the accompanying press release for this latest EP, Monster Jaw remained unperturbed in their quest to record a series of unedited tracks set straight to tape with no additional overdubs. The overall atmosphere surrounding all four songs presented here is often dense and claustrophobic. Such an example of this can be identified from second track, ‘Love’, where oxygen appears short in supply due to the air having the consistency of treacle and causing heads to swim uncontrollably. Monster Jaw pull off such a feat by means of a prominent bass that is incredibly raw and drives the song, but also by giving the impression of looping the vocals with its repetitive lines regarding the subject of love to the point where one can almost visualise the room spinning, it’s that potent a brew! With ‘Feel It’ showing its affection for New Model Army as far as the guitars are concerned, and with its vocals retaining a very compressed feel, it would seem that Monster Jaw bonded as one with their chosen recording environment. The closing song, ‘Never Change’ cleverly borrows elements from a previous song, ‘Losing All My Friends’, but manages to transform it into a composition that has more in common with the current EP release, despite sounding slightly euphoric in its chorus. With so much to offer, hopefully the next release from Monster Jaw will extend to a full album because the affection for this band just got considerably bigger after experiencing ‘The Basement Sessions EP’.

With no prior knowledge of what to expect once ‘Good Taste In Bad Friends’ was inserted into the CD player, one could be forgiven for thinking Aqua for the rockabilly market when weighing up the kitsch imagery and actual contents inside. Such a suggestion is not too far from the truth, however, as three out of the four band members – Crystal Dawn (vocals), Johnny Trash (drums) and Patrick Ouchene (guitar) – have participated in talent contests throughout Europe, with the Eurovision Song Contest being one of the most notable. Far closer to such a description, however, is the assortment of styles sewn into the majority of songs on offer here. This eclectic mix of tastes no doubt stems from the band’s already established involvement with various televised contests where influences from rockabilly, rock ‘n’ roll, pop and a comedic singing routine have been chosen as part of their individual repertoires. When it comes to the contents of ‘Good Taste In Bad Friends’, the album is predominantly rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll, but with the band carefully and skilfully bleeding other influences into the songs. Take, for example, the roaring two-sided rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll of ‘What A Way To Die’, containing some of the wildest guitar playing you are likely to hear this side of the modern rockin’ scene. Sassy vocals from Crystal Dawn jumpstarts ‘Up Above My Head’, which brings an instant smile that grows close to Cheshire Cat sized proportions once the male vocals add their contributions to the narrative, with one comedic turn by way of Johnny Trash, and it really makes for great listening. The same impression can be applied to ‘Blood On The Kitchen Floor’ with its twang of the guitar providing that lonesome desert feel, in addition to the theatrical delivery of one vocal in particular that creates an awkward position of not knowing whether to laugh or cry considering the grave nature of the lyrics. These compelling traits however, are also the albums undoing because by the time ‘Bad Boy’ arrives it all becomes too much, with the exaggerated second vocal starting to grate somewhat, and the shift in styles becoming muddled (‘Oh By Jingo’). A shortened version of ‘Good Taste In Bad Friends’ would have benefitted the competing interests of Crystal & Runnin’ Wild more greatly because, despite the talent on display here, various ideas become overworked and end up losing their initial appeal.