Mike Ross

Having spent the last few days with this album, two things are definitely clear: 1. Mike Ross makes music that stirs the blood and gets the booty bopping and 2. I really need to get a listen to ‘Pt1’ for the sheer pleasure this one brought.

Mike Ross is a British guitarist/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist and he wrote all of the songs here bar one . He plays all the instruments except additional keys – supplied by Rob Millin & Stevie Watts - and drums by Darren Lee. It feels to ne that the remarkable integrity of the album comes from his singular control and vision – he also produced and co-engineered the whole show.

He sits in the rock/Blues vein but there is a strong element of Prog in his music as well. More than a hint of West Coast and Southern rock all through the album but he polls it together with strong songwriting and even stronger playing.

The album starts with a meandering synth solo before blasting into a funky ‘Thanks A Lot’ with some great guitar playing – he is known as a shit-hot guitarist and sure shows it from the start. ‘None Of Your Business’ continues the harder rock side of his music but he also shows an intense and darker side to his music on ‘The Only Place You Ever Take Me Is Down’ and believe it or not, a more emotive and softer edge on ‘Hammer’. The Prog side of Mike Ross makes itself noticed on the excellent ‘Leviathan’

One of my personal favourites is ‘The Loser’ which was released as a single a short while back – very much a nod to The Faces but also with the feeling of The Band in the number as well.

I found myself playing the album all through, time after time, one of those albums that just grab your attention and involve you in the music. There isn’t a bad track here and the filler segments simply act as transitions. He is a better than average songwriter and a very good guitarist – a must for any rock lovers.