A must have - nuff said.
John Waite is one of my all time favourite singers and I have enjoyed most, if not all, of his recorded output for the past thirty years and more, although I will say that his last few country music tinged albums haven't always been what I expected or maybe wanted from the man. So when the new Waite CD 'Rough & Tumble' arrived I wondered just what he had come up with this time. Would it be more of his country stuff or would he have now decided to record an album full of rock for the new decade? Well to tell you the truth you get some of the former but thankfully more of the latter, with the rocky songs edging it, and for that reason I am very pleased indeed. John says that this album is a new beginning for him and I can see what he means by this as gone are the slower, laid back songs to be replaced with up-tempo guitar driven cuts. He attributes this change in direction to his new song writing partner, Matchbox 20 guitarist Kyle Cook, who seems to have given John that much needed push he was looking for, and for us it's a push in the right direction.
So what of the music? Well I'll tell you about a few of my favourites, kicking the whole affair off is the riff heavy title track 'Rough & Tumble', where John announces in a raucous fashion that he is back to rock, and rock in a big way, and with it's bluesy guitar riff and those signature vocals you can really hear that John means business. 'Shadows Of Love' and 'If You Ever Get Lonely' could be straight off the Bad English albums, full to bursting as they are with hooks and melodies. 'Sweet Rhode Island Red' has an almost southern feel to it but also reminds me of the punky attitude John had on his debut solo album. 'Love's Goin' Out Of Style' is the kind of slow ballad-like number John Waite excels at, his blues-drenched delivery sends a shiver down the back of the neck as you listen to his emotional voice. Final studio cut 'Peace Of Mind' starts with a spoken vocal, which then gels into a funky rocker, that isn't your usual John Waite track, but is all the better for that. To round off things you also get two bonus songs, the re-recorded 'Mr Wonderful' and the superb acoustic ballad 'Hanging Tree'.
To finish I'll say firstly that this album wasn't what I was expecting from John Waite and for that I am truly pleased. He seems to have reignited his love for rock and it shows in this set of songs, and for that reason alone I can say that John Waite hasn't sounded this good or this happy in years. A must have - nuff said.
Ian Johnson
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