WHAT'S ON YOUR FREE DIGITAL ALBUM

11 scorching new tracks from the mascot label Group for your downloading delectation, including hot-off-the-press tunes from Joe bonamassa, black stone Cherry and more besides…

1 Joe Bonamassa Evil Mama

is it a bird? is it a plane? is it the intro to Rock And Roll by led Zeppelin?? no, even if those opening drums are more than a little familiar. in a good way, mind you. Joe started rocking things up more on 2016’s Blues

Of Desperation, and here he combines that pulsating groovy aggression with super-slick brass and gospel-charged backing vocals – before swerving into a wah-tastic solo. ‘Evil’? hmm not quite, but tasty nonetheless. From Redemption https://jbonamassa.com/

2 Monster Truck Thundertruck

We can’t help thinking that support stint with Deep Purple left a mark… the hirsute Canadians are no strangers to fuck-off guitars and canyon-sized riffs (which this propulsive number, fans will be happy to note, isn’t short of), but the commanding organ presence is a standout ingredient here. the second track from their upcoming third lP True

Rockers, Thundertruck (and no that’s not

a misspelling of Thunderstruck) rocks most righteously. From True Rockers http://www.ilovemonstertruck.com/

3 The Magpie Salute Send Me An Omen

Rich Robinson and his motley crew of countrified pros haven’t disappointed with their first all-originals album. so what better way to showcase that than with one of the best tracks on said album, right here? While older brother Chris pursued psychedelic jams and staunch independence (with the Chris Robinson brotherhood), Rich just wanted to play rock’n’roll. Send Me An

Omen is rock’n’roll of the most infectious yet richly textured kind. Charged with soul, hooky guitars and southern sensibilities, and spearheaded by the rock n’ soul vocals of John hogg, we’ve had it on heavy rotation for ages.

From High Water I http://themagpiesalute.com/

4 Black Stone Cherry New Kinda Feelin’

mmmm, now that’s nice… For latest album Family

Tree, Kentucky’s finest stripped back their radioshined, bro-rocking side in favour of the classic blues and rock that influenced them as kids. this raw, juicy slab of southern-blues rock’n’roll was one of the most satisfying end products; diving straight in with a gloriously familiar, finger-lickin’ guitar hook and ‘ugh!’ from singer Chris Robertson. it’s swaggering, totally unpretentious, and we like it. From Family Tree http://www.blackstonecherry.com/

5 Big Boy Bloater Stop Stringing Me Along

big boy bloater (his real name remains a mystery to all but his nearest and dearest) knows more about the highs and lows of the music industry than many, and this tune (while not directed at a specific person or organisation) acts as a bit of a “cautionary tale for anyone starting out in the music industry today”. musically, though, it’s decidedly chipper – embodying bloater’s sharp, expert blend of dulcet rockabilly tones and foot-stomping bluesy rock’n’roll.

From Pills http://www.bigboybloater.com/

6 Kris Barras Band Propane

if you thought that a song called Propane from a top mma fighter would be all manlier-than-thou chestpumping and actual fire… Well, you’d be wrong. but wrong in a good way. Y’see, Kris barras is also an ace singer/ guitarist (with a voice that veers markedly close to bon Jovi at times), and one of the hottest tickets on the current blues rock scene. With that in mind it’s no surprise that he’s more than capable of the sweet, rootsinfused 21st century bluesiness we get here – as well as the meatier material elsewhere on latest album, The Divine

And Dirty. From The Divine And Dirty https://www.krisbarrasband.com/

7 Doyle Bramhall II Love And Pain

son of hotshot texan drummer Doyle bramhall, lifelong friend and collaborator of Jimmy and stevie Ray Vaughan, and known for his work with Eric Clapton, t bone burnett and Roger Waters, among others, bramhall ii has a tonne of experience to draw from. nodding to the new-blues likes of Fantastic negrito and Gary Clark Jr this is a cool, syncopated fusion of R’n’b, nu-soul and more-ish bluesy guitar. From Shades http://db2music.com/

8 The Apocalypse Blues Revue Hell To Pay

take two members of us

Billboard chart-toppers Godsmack and throw a bunch of electric texas blues licks and a “shamanistic” frontman (Ray “Rafer John” Cerbone, discovered by Godsmack/tabR drummer shannon larkin at a biker bar) into the mix, and what do you get? this curious, crunchy, slightly trippy cocktail of psychedelic undertones, laid-back blues and electric soloing. From The Shape Of Blues To Come http://theapocalypsebluesrevue.com/

9 Michael Romeo Believer

Co-founding guitarist of us progressive metallers symphony X, michael Romeo eats epic tunes, widdly guitar and mega-scale orchestration for breakfast. Clocking in at over eight minutes, no orchestral layering or musical bombast is spared – and it’s all delivered with note-perfect aplomb, plus a catchy melody to tie it all together.

From War Of The Worlds / Pt. 1 http://michaelromeomusic.com/

10 10 Years Burnout

hooky alt.metal now, courtesy of these guys from Knoxville, tennessee. their latest record, (how to live) AS GHOSTS (their eighth in total), is a brooding but brighter, more propulsive effort than 2015’s darker From Birth To Burial, reflected in the satisfying but pensive tuneage going on here. From (how to live) AS GHOSTS http://10yearsmusic.com/site/

11 DeWolff

Once In A Blue Moon

We’ll leave you with one of the softer (and best) moments from the Dutch trio’s game-raising latest album, Thrust. it starts off all 70s soul vocals and pretty hammond organ lines, before growing into something quite a bit rockier – with real gutgrabbing moodiness and intrigue. it’s classic and decadent, without succumbing to sleepy ripping-off. if this is a pastiche of prime-era classic rock, it’s the best kind. and no, we still can’t quite believe they were born in the 90s either… From Thrust http://www.dewolff.nu/