SOUL DOCTOR - review added 6th November 2009
Album Review: Way Back To The Bone (2009)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and driving away from the bone
Soul Doctor is the baby of Fair Warning vocalist Tommy Heart, plus guitarist Chris Lyne. At Rock Realms we expect big things from this album. Fair Warning's recent release Aura is one of our favourite albums of 2009, and Tommy is definitely amongst our top-rated singers.
Soul Doctor's first release was their eponymous debut back in 2001, closely followed by Systems Go Wild a year later. For A Fistful Of Dollars came out in 2005 and Blood Runs Cold in 2007. Way Back To The Bone marks the return of drummer Zacky to the band. The line-up is completed by bassist Jogy Rautenberg.
Sound-wise there are obvious references to Fair Warning's style, mostly because of Tommy's vocals. There's plenty of Whitesnake, Giant, Bon Jovi, you name it. Basically, Soul Doctor play a hard hitting rock 'n' roll with oodles of melody, cool harmonies and fun upbeat guitar sounds. there's a definite nod to the late 1980's and, as the band say on their website, a good slab of classic British rock.
The result is good-ish but, in the most part, it's not THAT special. Listening through the album there's very little that stands out. It's impossible not to like it, but it's not music I find myself singing afterwards - it's all as safe as an armour plated exoskeleton. The exception is the ballad 'Times Of Yesterday'. It's a massive slow track with a vast wilderness of a chorus you could lose yourself in for weeks. It's not necessarily original, but it is bloody good and, sometimes, that's all that matters. Tommy's performance is simply breathtaking.
Overall Way Back To The Bone is an okay release that could, I guess, grow on you after dozens of listens. The performances are beyond reproach; there isn't a bad note, duff phrase, dour hook or poorly constructed chorus throughout. As a showcase of brilliantly formulated inoffensive averageness, this album is the bee's knees.
Check out... The chorus of 'Times Of Yesterday'. Wow.
Track List:
1. First Man On The Moon
2. Lightning And Thunder
3. Can't Stand Losing
4. Love Crashed Down (Boom Down!)
5. Times Of Yesterday
6. Here Comes The Night
7. Heartache Heartbreak
8. Coming Home
9. Welcome To The Party
10. Take It While It's Hot
Label: Metal Heaven
Artist's website(s): Soul Doctor , MySpace
