By Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night
Album: Bad Touch’s Shake A Leg–Marshall Records–Release date October 5, 2018
Bad Touch is releasing their third studio album Shake a Leg—and the first on the Marshall Records label—on Friday, October 5th. Whenever I rent a car (which is frequently), I request a car with a CD player. I have to say that Bad Touch’s CD Shake a Leg is definitely a regular that I bring along for the ride. Really, it’s one of those CDs that doesn’t have a bad track on it!
Being a fan of Southern rock—and listening to Shake a Leg—it’s hard to believe this is a band of Brits! Bad Touch is totally in tune with the whole Southern rock, blues-rock genre, that has been revived in recent years with the likes of American-bred Blackberry Smoke and Black Stone Cherry.
First off, the sound engineering and mixing on Shake A Leg are superb! It’s to be expected when one is signed with Marshall Records. The first song on the CD “Lift Your Head Up” sounds very Van Halen-esque, and I can picture David Lee Roth singing this hard rockin’ and infectious song.
A few songs are in the vein of Molly Hatchet, such as “Hammer Falls” with its dirty blues-rock feel and “Too Many Times”, which would be the perfect song to play on jukebox in a smoky billiards hall. A real stand out is “Dressed to Kill” with the cool lead guitar riff and heavy blues-rock beat, which is really danceable (OK…I’m a female, so this is important).
Fans of The Outlaws or The Henry Paul Band will love “I Belong” and “Believe In Me” which starts off slow and romantic, but then escalates into full blown heavy rock. The song “Skyman” pays homage to the Skydog himself. Dirty blues and funky “Movin’ On Up” captures the Allmanesque sound and “Slow Tempest” appears to be influence by “both Brothers”—Allman and Doobies.
Another one of my favorites in the CD is “Tussle” which is actually pretty hard rock with its cool descending bass riff, yet still maintains its Southern-tinged flavor. A welcome addition to the mix is “Bury Me (When I’m Gone)” which is acoustic-driven ballad—stripped if you will—but definitely features a beautiful, stirring melody.
Overall, Bad Touch’s new album Shake a Leg appeals to all fans of the Southern Rock, without sounding like an imitation, and truly captures the soul of the genre. I would love to see this band perform live! Bad Touch will be launching its UK tour on October 17th.
TRACK LISTING
CD/Digital **Also available in Vinyl
Lift Your Head Up, Hammer Falls, Too Many Times, Dressed To Kill, Skyman, I Belong, Show Me What It Means, Tussle, Take Me Away, Believe In Me, Movin’ On Up, Slow Tempest, Bury Me (When I’m Gone).
LINE UP: Stevie Westwood (vocals), Rob Glendinning (guitar), Daniel Seekings (guitar), Michael Bailey (bass), George Drewry (drums)
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I grew up in a household full of rock music, studied journalism in college, and then became a scientist.Although my science career has served me well, music has always played a major role in my life. I grew up reading "Creem" magazine; I play several musical instruments as a "hobby";and it seems a camera has always been in my hand. Now, I am combining what I love the most--music and photography--serving as editor of Rock At Night. I travel between the US and UK seeking my dream! My motto: life is short...no regrets. Chyrisse
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