All the songs presented here positively bristle with vitality.
There can be no denying Suzi Quatro's work ethic what with energy-sapping tours of Australia, the UK and mainland Europe this coming year, and now her first release for the Steamhammer/SPV imprint. 'No Control' is a bit of a family affair too, with Quatro being ably helped out in no small way by her son Richard who was born from her first marriage to original Quatro band guitarist Len Tuckey.
All the songs presented here positively bristle with vitality, something that is perfectly demonstrated on the opening track 'No Soul-No Control' with Quatro sounding really committed and backed with a taut rhythm section. 'Going Home' is a bluesy chugger, whereas 'Strings' changes tact nicely with a very cool horn arrangement; the latter is an album highlight. Elsewhere, 'Macho Man' is a song that I'm sure will sound great in the live setting with its insistent riffing, but I'm not completely sold on the slightly lightweight 'Love Isn't Fair' which shows Quatro spreading her Pop wings; although other listeners may feel differently, it's just not for me really. 'Easy Pickings' ploughs a familiar Blues furrow and it's a cool, smoky kind of number.
'Bass Line' has a nice shuffle going on and it's a grower with a great yet understated vocal from Quatro. 'Don't Do Me Wrong' is back to the Blues with the harmonica and Honky-Tonk piano well to the fore, and it also finds her giving a quite seductive delivery where she has a real rasp to her voice. 'Heavy Duty' is next and it's a pulsating rocker that benefits once more from an excellent brass section arrangement. 'I Can Teach You To Fly' struts along rather nicely and it features a seriously cool guitar solo; once again, the brass section is used to maximum effect. The closer 'Going Down Blues' pretty much does what it says on the tin, it's a smouldering Blues number which really shows us how effective Quatro and her band are at this sort of thing.
Suzi Quatro continues to be in fine form and this record alongside her previous 'QSP' release have seen her take on (and she probably won't thank me for this) the role of Rock music's elder stateswoman. Oh, and I nearly forget... she still looks great in black leather!
Malcolm Smith
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