THE RAZ BAND – #9
Gonzo 2019
Stepping down from Cloud Nine, New Jersey veterans deliver heavenly, but so down-to-earth, perspectives.
One
would assume that, after more than three decades of rocking the stages,
a certain ensemble’s album can’t be too sentimental or, at least, too
personal, yet Michael Rescigno is out to prove such a guess wrong. But
while the track titled “Call Me Raz” may suggest some intimacy, “#9”
doesn’t enter the territory of age-related mawkishness, and this
successor to 2015’s "Madison Park" is
not only robust but also boisterous. It’s a requisite for staying long
in the business, and punchy cuts like “Curveball” reveal the band’s
defiant stance and their ability to face adversity.
“Perception
can be king”: this line from the unhurriedly ebullient “In The
Meantime” seems to summarize the group’s current angle, so it’s no
coincidence that the record’s first hooks come packed into “Breadline
Love” whose boogie panache is rather uncompromising, as two guitars
rumble and wail, whereas the swagger of “I Got This” is playful. Still,
there’s underlining ache on many of the numbers, especially on those
voiced by Joey Molland, glaringly so on “The Winds Of Time” which turns a
slider-oiled nostalgia into glorification of the past, and on the
philosophical “Let Me Tell You” which shines a light into a piano-lined
gloom.
Yet any signs of fatigue fade
away when testosterone-pumping riffs propel “Nipple Town” towards the
futuristic gleam behind “Dirt” that’s bound to soil the listener’s soul
with some lingering bliss. A bonus disc accompanying “#9” will
demonstrate how a half of these songs fares live, guaranteeing the
group’s further longevity. Long may their razmatazz run.
CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM GONZO
 | No. 9 CD - £9.99 |
 | The Best of RAZ CD - £9.99 |
 | Madison Park CD - £9.99 |
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