Simon RushworthSuzi Quatro – No Control (SPV)
Heavy blues. Classic rock. And even ‘Quatro does The Mavericks’ on the jaunty Love Isn’t Fair. How to celebrate half a century in the music biz? This is it.
Collaborating with her son Richard Tuckey, Quatro is in typically feisty form on a record that doesn’t so much reinvent the queen of rock as revitalise a career that shows no sign of coming to a genteel stop anytime soon.
The singer’s trademark tone is writ large across opener No Soul/No Control and the anthemic fist pumper Macho Man. When Quatro is in the mood to rock she rarely lets up and both songs should breathe new life into her live set.
But it’s when the legendary American gets down and dirty on the blistering blues of Going Home and Heavy Duty – both songs replete with generous lashings of Hammond organ – that this album hits a creative high.
And Easy Pickings isn’t far behind. The opening riff – complemented by some honey-soaked harmonica – is utterly addictive and Quatro remains prominent enough in the mix to make this the most accessible and upbeat number here.
It’s remarkable to think that one of the most iconic female artists of the 1970s remains a key player in 2019. But this is a record that reinforces Quatro’s reputation as a role model for women in music the world over and an album that perfectly captures a mood of unrelenting positivity and unbreakable self-confidence.
No Control is a no brainer as the Rushonrock Record of the Week.
