ALBUM REVIEW: Salvation – Mick’s Jaguar
MICK’S JAGUAR‘s sophomore album Salvation is a nostalgic offering that feels out of time but that’s certainly not a bad thing. Despite what their name suggests, MICK’S JAGUAR are not a ROLLING STONES tribute band – at least not anymore. They have honed their skills and musical talent and easily become their own band. The best way to describe their sound would be to say it’s something like THIN LIZZY meets AC/DC.
Their opening track Skin Contact conjures images of shoulder-length hair, headbands and a Harley Davidson motorcycle. It wouldn’t be a stretch to believe these guys stepped out of 1977 and into 2022. It’s a heavy track and is guitar led with whining solos. The vocals sound a little gruff which gives the whole track a bit of rough edge which works perfectly. Handshake Deals follows and it feels stronger – like this is more of a personal song. The come down on the chorus gives a feeling of doom but still having a good time with it. It’s clear even at this juncture that the musicianship is on point. It’s all really tight, and the complex solos show these guys really know their instruments.
Man Down is a bit lighter on the instrumentation during the verses and chorus and the vocals come through a bit clearer on this track as if they’re taking centre stage. That’s not to say there’s no blistering solo toward the end though. Free On The Street is a similar track as it is also fairly light on the instrumentation although light for these guys is still pretty heavy. However, this track is filled with musical breaks which give the song more drive and push it along at an even pacing.
Speed Dealer is fast and it feels like a GUNS N’ ROSES track as it is a little reminiscent of their sound but with a rawer feel to it. Again, the guitar parts are impressive and the vocal performance is great. Leading into Nothing To Lose the band employ more of a punk sound here; it has a little MISFITS feel to it. The instrumentation is more basic on this track and the verses and chorus are pretty simple. The effects on the voice are a little different but unfortunately are not used all that much which would have been a welcome change.
Hell’s Gate starts out a little more sedated than some of the others with the vocals little more than whisper. It kicks in more as the track progresses and the bass features a lot more heavily in this track which is not featured as strongly on the rest of the album which is a shame because the bass is really tight and it makes a change. Finally, the album closes with Georgian Pine and the female voice is a welcome change. It’s a cool track but feels a little bit restrained, like this track could be bigger. But the vocals feel like they have a certain style to them which gives them character. It feels a little more like there’s an actual substance to the track which makes this one of the stronger points on the album.
This album is tiresome. That’s not to say it’s necessarily bad as it would work as background music to a road trip or would likely please any fan of 70s rock, but unfortunately Salvation feels very generic. The tracks all follow a similar structure and don’t really do anything to stand out. As far as rock albums go, it’s decent but feels very ordinary and lacking substance.
Rating: 5/10
Salvation is set for release on December 2nd via Tee Pee Records/Totem Cat Records.
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