Big Boy Bloater & The Limits – Luxury Hobo (Provogue)
Genre: Blues Rock/Rock And Roll
Rarely does an album boast the raw power to make the most grizzled of cynics sit up and take notice within minutes – before blowing away the rock and roll cobwebs with brazen efficiency.
Luxury Hobo might be the product of Bloater’s battle with depression but it’s the most uplifting, soulful and catchy thing we’ve heard all year. From start to finish there’s a sense of freedom, frantic delivery and hook-laden fun – opener Devils Not Angels setting the tone with an insanely catchy riff.
If Robot Girlfriend is a lyrical disaster (it would have been better as an instrumental) then it’s the only wrong turn on an otherwise stellar piece of work. Bloater’s ear for a tune and talent for telling it like it is (check out the cheeky I Love You… and the deadpan Not Cool Man) makes for a riot of a record. It’s impossible to avoid repeat plays of the most addictive songs here.
Midway through Luxury Hobo the consistently brilliant Bloater explains I Got The Feeling Someone’s Watching Me – well they should be. This is blues with a glam rock twist and social commentary with a soundtrack to die for. It’s a record rich in positivity and an album quite capable of causing a stir.
Bloater insisted he wanted to write ‘biting’ songs without being overly negative. And he’s a man true to his word. This is a quite wonderful record.
RUSHONROCK RATED: 10/10 No Limits