While it's good, I can't really say it’s an essential purchase.
“Big Engine is a super-charged, fully blown rock n' roll machine, playing over 200 shows a year for hundreds of thousands of fans! Their nitrous fuelled, guitar driven, high-energy music leave the uninitiated singing along with their fists in the air to their catchy choruses and instantly memorable lyrics.” So says the promotional blurb that accompanies this release, their third. Yes, it’s guitar driven Hard Rock with a Southern edge – think Bryan Adams jamming with Lynyrd Skynyrd. But “nitrous fuelled, high-energy?” Nah, it’s just mid-tempo, straight forward Rock’n’Roll. The catchy choruses I can agree with, there are some decent melodies, but to me “instantly memorable lyrics” just hints that they’re going to be simplistic and repetitive – which they are.
I’m not trying to be too overly harsh; this is a good time, fun Rock’n’Roll record and it’s well played, well produced, and yes, you can sing along to the choruses. But admittedly the lyrics are embarrassingly formulaic at times, especially the likes of ‘Burn It Down’, ‘Shake That Thing’ and ‘Make Your Move.’ And at just eight tracks with just one over the four-minute mark it’s more than a little on the short side. The closing ‘No More Time’ is the longest on offer, and it’s probably the best, with hints of early Eagles, and some neat slide guitar work.
This Florida quartet have been around since at least 2007, this is their third release, and they’ve been invited to open up for the likes of Buckcherry, Motorhead, .38 Special and Ted Nugent, along with regular appearances at NASCAR events. It’s the type of album you can put on and enjoy straight out of the box due to its easy-going simplicity and Southern elements. But while it’s good, I can’t really say it’s an essential purchase.
Ant Heeks
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