Paradise Kings review…July 24, 2017….
PARADISE KINGS
CONTROLLED BURN
’69 CHEVY–I’D SING THE BLUES IF I HAD ‘EM–THREE STRIKES–SLOW DOWN–BUTTER ME UP (JAN INGRAM ON VOCAL)–PATIENCE–POOR ME, POOR ME, POUR ME ANOTHER DRINK–MONEY AIN’T MY FRIEND (LIVE FROM SOHO MUSIC CLUB, SANTA BARBARA)
Santa Barbara, CA, is not only a beautiful city in Southern California, it also features a vibrant live-music scene. The Paradise Kings are a part of that club mix, and they have just released “Controlled Burn” to give fans a taste of what they are all about. The set is predominantly highly-danceable blues-rock, and all the songs were written by drummer George Lambert, save for “Three Strikes,” penned by Gordon Jennings. Along with George, Henry Garrett is lead vocalist, with Jeff Gring on guitar, Michael Robertson on bass, and Chris Ulep on keys.
These guys are known for their hi-octane live shows, and they bring that energy into Santa Barbara’s Orange Whip Studios for the first seven cuts. They lead off with an extended, rockabilly-infused intro that gives way to a song about a man’s favorite car, that “69 Chevy!” (We had one, and it’s still the best car we ever had!) These guys have a wicked-cool sense of humor in their songs, too. The story of a guy who always seems to end up on “Easy Street” is the man who says, “I’d Sing The Blues If I Had ‘Em,” set over a walking-beat groove. “Slow Down” traces the pitfalls of an older guy trying to keep up with a young chick, while “Patience” follows a similar theme, as our hero is always rarin’ to rock, but his lover’s “name is Patience,” and she sho’ nuff believes in taking her sweet time!
Our favorite closed the set. We get a taste of what goes down at one of their live shows, this one courtesy of the good folks at the Soho Music Club in Santa Barbara. The humorous story of a man stretchin’ himself waaay too thin to make a few bucks is “Money Ain’t My Friend,” and features a killer vocal from Henry, and two monster solos from Jeff.
Fans, the Paradise Kings play a mojo-filled brand of old-school blues with a modern feel, and deserve wider recognition. Here’s hoping “Controlled Burn” will bring them that richly-deserved acclaim! Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues Society.