August 2018 – Elliott & The Audio Kings
Mike Elliott hails from Waterloo, where for several years he fronted a band called Daddy Long Legs that won an MBA for New Artist. He has now retired that band and this is the second album for the new one. The Audio Kings are Jonny Sauder on drums and Scott Fitzpatrick on doghouse bass and they describe this album as ’12 tracks of grit, swagger and fun’. To that end they record mostly live off the floor with maximum rowdy energy. The opener “Zim Zam Zoom” is all you need to hear as Elliott tears it up on guitar & vocals. “All Revved Up” keeps it going with a retro blues sound before “Shoulder The Weight” gives us a very good slow blues with a fine guitar solo. “Touch Of Your Hand” is more of the same and equally good. “Day Drinking” introduces Elliott on harp on a very tough 50’s Chicago sounding effort and he does a fine job on that harp. “(I Need A) Rich Girl” puts us firmly into rockabilly before the well-chosen title song, a straightforward rocking blues: our narrator sings about an aging rocker, possibly a role model, who’s lost his way and is now a barroom drunk. “Long Live The King” remembers those old days – great harp solo. The concluding “Tin Sandwich” is a harp instrumental and a very good one. Their web site is www.elliottandtheaudiokings.com.