ALBUM REVIEW: Closer To The Sun – Tyketto
TYKETTO should be far bigger than they are. The New York melodic rockers are the perfect blend of heavy, blues and straight up rock music with a touch of country for good measure, and that sort of cocktail should do huge numbers on the airwaves in their home country. Yet, they arrived at arguably the wrong time – initially formed in 1987 by former WAYSTED vocalist Danny Vaughn, the rise of grunge in the 90s put paid to their early promise and they split in 1996, reforming eight years later. For those who follow them dearly though, this has been a long time coming – sixth album Closer To The Sun, released on March 20th via Silver Lining Music, is their first release in a decade, and to feature members Harvey Scott Elliott and Johnny Dee on guitar and backing vocals respectively.
Considering their longevity, TYKETTO aren’t about to make any seismic shifts in the way they write music, so naturally there’s no huge surprises here. Opening track Higher Than High is a solid beginning, the classic TYKETTO sound encompassed into an feel good, upbeat tempo; bonus points for the harmonica solo as well. Donnowhuddidis (read as ‘Don’t Know What It Is’) incorporates a more country-style swing, particularly in the keyboards, while Vaughn‘s voice has lost none of its soul and warmth. The title track, which is their most recent single, is bound to make a splash on the radio with its catchy chorus, simple harmonies and acoustic guitar foundation and Harleys & Indians (Riders In The Sky) is a heartfelt ode to a biker afterlife and the continuing of a wild, untamed spirit; having the harmonica back helps as well.
The band still know their way around a ballad too. BON JOVI might be the kings of such a format, but one can make an argument for TYKETTO being next in line for the throne. Tracks like Starts With A Feeling and Far And Away pull on the heartstrings and give plenty of opportunities for clenched fists, power grabs and lighters in the air. The album isn’t perfect, as Bad For Good has some laughably awful lyrics even by cheesy rock standards (“Sometimes you’re the hammer/Sometimes you’re the nail/Sometimes you’ll be tempted/To catch that tiger right by its tail”) and Hit Me Where It Hurts suffer a similar fate with its words sounding more like a teenager’s diary than a scorned lover, but by the time you get to driving closer The Brave, you can forgive a couple of missteps given the rest of the record is full of earworms.
The longer the wait between albums, the higher the chance that a new release doesn’t meet up to ever increasing expectations. Closer To The Sun, though, is arguably the best TYKETTO record since their 2004 reunion. It doesn’t quite hit all the right notes, but this is potentially the nearest the band have come to matching their excellent 1991 debut Don’t Come Easy in terms of its quality. If you’re a fan of FM, BLACK STONE CHERRY, LYNYRD SKYNYRD or ZZ TOP, you’ll have a blast with this.
Rating: 7/10
Closer To The Sun is out now via Silver Lining Music.
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