Putting on a Gerry Jablonski and the Electric Band album is akin to jumping into an ice bath straight from the sauna. The power, the pace, the sheer bloody commitment is not advised for those with a weak heart!
This is their fifth studio album and they don’t so much reflect the current Blues/Rock scene as demonstrate just what can be achieved.
While the music is enormously powerful, it isn’t without subtlety and Peter Narojczyk’s harmonica adds a soulful groove to much of what is on offer. Lewis Fraser is an excellent drummer and Grigor Leslie’s bass playing catches the groove on every track. But it is Gerry Jablonski’s name on the marquee and his guitar that really catches the ear – heavy duty riffage is balanced by some brilliant soloing. Gerry’s vocals are throaty and perfectly suited to Blues.
There is real feeling on the album too, and the war in Ukraine maybe lies at its heart: Lead vocalist and guitarist Gerry Jablonski says: “The art and music especially should reflect reality or be the reality of reflection…We walked into the studio on the morning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The terrifying events of the unfolding war started shaping the mood and the sounds we were creating. It seemed like the lyrics never meant so much before, the sound never felt so dark. This unknown and new reality deeply affected our music and performance during this session. The sound of the album is a sum of the experiences and the feelings that inspired us during the recording process”.
There isn’t a weak track on the album but ‘Goddam’ stands out for it’s blistering attack, ‘Heavy Water’ has a dark and malevolent tone to it (some great harmonica) and Opener ‘Heavy Stones’ is just exhilarating from start to finish. Possibly my favourite is the beautiful ‘Hard Road’.
A brilliant example of unashamed Blues/Rock that swaggers with the best and displays some real talent too.
