Simon RushworthIt’s been another rocking year for red hot new releases and as 2019 draws to a close Rushonrock Editor Simon Rushworth picks his top 10.
10. The Quireboys – Amazing Disgrace (Off Yer Rocka)
Perhaps the band’s best album since their critically acclaimed debut and 30 years after Spike and co. burst on to the scene they remain a creative tour de force. Losing drummer Dave McCluskey this month is a blow but 2020 promises to be another big year at QB HQ.
9. Royal Republic – Club Majesty (Nuclear Blast)
Imagine Ghost jamming with Abba and you get the idea where this pop rock classic is concerned. Club Majesty is a joyous, uplifting affair that re-established Royal Republic as a band without boundaries.
8. Robert Randolph And The Family Band – Brighter Days (Mascot)
Robert Randolph plus lap steel plus producer of the moment Dave Cobb made for a monumental release. The groove got you from the first minute of the first track and filled the void for those Vintage Trouble fans lamenting their favourite band’s sad demise.
7. Work Of Art – Exhibits (Frontiers)
AOR might be about as trendy as a Berlin mullet circa 1985 but Work Of Art kickstarted their three-man mission to make melodic rock cool again with the astonishing Exhibits. Love Foreigner, Survivor and Giant? You’ll adore this.
6. Rival Sons – Feral Roots (Atlantic Records)
Another Dave Cobb-produced contender and another prime example of Rival Sons’ effortless authenticity. The leap to a major label couldn’t come soon enough for a band that’s surely on the verge of that huge global breakthrough.
5. Luke Combs – What You See Is What You Get (Columbia Nashville)
Pipped Florida Georgia Line for the country record of the year as Combs dominated the airwaves and crashed the charts with a collection of perfectly positioned beer-fuelled anthems. Luke no further for your whiskey-soaked festive fix.
4. Jack J Hutchinson – Who Feeds The Wolf? (Self Released)
Britain’s best new bluesman blazed a trail for a fast-evolving genre by adding Zeppelin-esque groove and Brit rock passion to a set rooted in tradition. Jack’s the lad and seeing the cat in the hat live is something to behold.
3. The Darkness – Easter Is Cancelled (Cooking Vinyl)
The natural follow-up to Permission To Land and an exercise in polished pomp rock few peers can hope to match. The Hawkins brothers were back with a bang in 2019 to remind the shoegazing masses that guitar music is meant to be fun.
2. Death Angel – Humanicide (Nuclear Blast)
The Bay Area thrashers might still live in the shadow of the Big Four but Humanicide represented further proof that Death Angel is alive and kicking. Biting riffs and brain crushing rhythms underpinned a beast of an album.
1.Tyler Bryant And The Shakedown – Truth And Lies (Snakefarm)
Time spent on the road with some of the biggest bands on the planet is the perfect school of rock and Tyler Bryant learnt his lessons well. Not content with dropping the rock and roll album of 2019, The Shakedown blew label mates Airbourne out of the water on this year’s UK tour.