Recensie: Bad Touch - Kiss The Sky

Bad Touch – Kiss The Sky
Format: CD – white Vinyl – Digital / Label: Marshall Records
Release: 2020

Zodra dit album van de Britse band Bad Touch uit Dereham, Norfolk, begint weet je uit welke muzikale hoek de wind bij deze band gaat waaien. Namelijk de behoorlijk bluesy en soulvolle rock met een flink hoge Black Crowes invloed.

Zanger Stevie Westwood, gitaristen Robert Glendinning en Daniel Seekings, bassist Michael Bailey en drummer George Drewrey zijn met dit album aan hun vierde album toe, dat geproduceerd werd door de o.a. van zijn werk met the Darkness bekende Nick Brine.

De toon van dit album wordt gezet met Come A Little Closer. Een pompend nummer met stuwende bluesy gitaarriffs, een pompende ritmesectie en de zeer soulvolle zang van Stevie Westwood. Een krachtge opener dus met gemeen snijdend slidegitaarwerk. I Get High tapt uit hetzelfde muzikale vaatje en klinkt ook zeer soulvol en funky. Ook het funky groovende Let Go is overduidelijk door the Black Crowes beïnvloed met dat verschil dat Bad Touch hier stukken soulvoller klinkt.
Strut opent met “Can You Hear Me Knocking”-achtige Stones gitaarriffs. In dit stuwende nummer klinkt Stevie Westwood als een soulvolle variant op Bon Scott.
De band covert zeer terecht de klassieker I’ve Got The Music In Me van de vreselijk ondergewaardeerde zangeres Kiki Dee. Deze cover klinkt hier zeer vlammend en beukend. I feel funky, I feel good!!!! Dan is het tijd voor een meer ingetogen nummer, Can You Save Me. Een mid-tempo ballad waarin melodieuze passages afgewisseld worden met krachtige riffs. Vervolgens beukt het logge en funky groovende Kiss The Sky er weer lekker in. Hier klinkt de band als een mix van the Black Crowes en AC/DC.
De melancholieke ballad See You Again, compleet met strijkers, had zo op het repertoire van Jimmy Barnes kunnen staan. Na het venijnig hakkende Before I Die onstaat in het loom groovende Read All About It een Spin Doctors-achtig funky sfeertje. Too Much Of A Good Thing is een voorbeeld van de energieke rockend stijl van Bad Touch.
Het prachtige soulvolle orgelgeluid van gast Bob Fridzema speelt een centrale rol in Sun And The Moon dat rauw pompende riffs afwisselt met ingetogen gedeeltes.
De afsluiter Something About Your Kiss is een sprankelend melancholisch nummer, dat richting het geluid van Mr. Big trekt.

Liefhebbers van soulvolle energieke Classic Rock weten wat ze te doen staat…kopen dit album!!!!

Tracklist:
01. Come A Little Closer
02. I Get High
03. Let Go
04. Strut
05. I’ve Got The Music In Me
06. Can You Save Me
07. Kiss The Sky
08. See You Again
09. Before I Die
10. Read All About It
11. Too Much Of A Good Thing
12. Sun And The Moon
13. Something About Your Kiss

PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Recorded at Rockfield Studios, Monmouth, Wales, December 2019
Produced by Nick Brine and Bad Touch
Mixed by Nick Brine
Mastered by Pete Maher

BAND LINE-UP:
Stevie Westwood (Vocals)
Rob Glendinning (Guitar)
Daniel Seekings (Guitar)
Michael Bailey (Bass)
George Drewry (Drums)

Website: Bad Touch

ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK:
CD & DIGITAL

Come A Little Closer
It’s an instant guitar riff. That’s how you start a Bad Touch song. It’s possibly one of the more energetic, slightly frantic songs on the new album. It’s a homage to our bluesy roots. Non-stop fun from start to finish.

I Get High
Mum – it’s not what you think! Gratuitous love song incoming! It’s about that feeling we’ve all had at some point, being completely smitten by a lover and wanting to spend the rest of your life with that special person. And with a couple of Bad Touch members with rings on their fingers, it seems quite fitting to have a song like this on the new album.

Let Go
This song’s all about the groove. It’s chilled-out but still in your face. It was one of the first songs we wrote and sets out the overall vibe and feel for the album. We wanted this album to be full of huge choruses that you can shout along to. It’s also one of the only songs that we’ve played live before we recorded the album. Audiences were singing along by the end, so that makes it a winner in our book.

Strut
This is the first single taken from the new album. It sums up what we want from you at our live shows. “We wanna see you strut. Wanna see you get down!” It’s got a huge harmony in the chorus as a nod to our Southern gospel influences. Again, I know I keep saying it’s one of my favourite songs, but that’s because they all are! This album is the best that Bad Touch have recorded, and never have we been more fired-up about performing the new songs live for our fans.
I’ve Got The Music In Me
That’s right we’ve got a cover on our album. What? It’s a banger! We took what Kiki Dee was going for, and we amped it up, threw it in the dirt and gave it a whole lot more sex. I challenge anyone to listen to our version of this great song and not be smiling from ear to ear. They’ll be screaming the chorus to the heavens by the end!

Can You Save Me
This is one of those songs that hits hard in more ways than just relying on a big guitar sound. it’s about feeling unfulfilled, underwhelmed and genuinely disappointed in yourself. What could I have done different? Why am I like this? Listen to the lyrics and you’ll understand. It does feature a killer harmony by our voice-from-the-back, from our drummer, George.

Kiss The Sky
This song is big. It’s in your face It’s got groove It’s everything we wanted this album to be. That’s why we named her after it! “Kiss The Sky” is a party song (and a party album for that matter!) There’s no messing around. “You want it, you got it! I wanna see you move ‘til you can’t no more!”

See You Again
This is one of the more poignant songs on the new album. It’s a from-the-heart ballad, about the loss of a friend to all the band, but a father to one member of the band. It was one of the harder songs to write as it was so personal, and it sucks to see your mate struggle. It very nearly never made it on the album. It was our producer, Nick Brine, that said, “Boys, it’s gotta be on the album” and I, for one, am glad we pushed on. This one’s for you Joe.

Before I Die
The initial idea for this song came about whilst messing around with a loop pedal. It’s got a different vibe to the usual Bad Touch thing and is one of my personal favourites on the new album. It was inspired by tracks like the Temperance Movement’s “Oh Lorraine” and Whitesnake’s “Ready An’ Willing”. We went for a funkier, gnarlier sound with biting lyrics and heavy groove.

Read All About It
The song features an awesome bit of guitar-work by our resident face-melter, Rob Glendinning. This track has a lot of groove and emotion. It’s about breaking free from something toxic that’s controlled your life, whether that be substances or a bad relationship. The message is, “If you have enough support and enough love, you’ll come out the other side.” We all make mistakes people, but you’ll always find a friend in us.

Too Much of A Good Thing
I hope you’re ready to sing the chorus… ‘coz you will! This is another upbeat Bad Touch song. It’s not going to redefine rock and roll, but I think the overall sentiment is there. Its 2 minutes and 47 seconds of non-stop feel-good music.

Sun And The Moon
As a band, this one’s probably our favourite song to play. Influenced by our brothers in Magpie Salute and The Black Crowes, it touches on what it’s like being a young(ish) person today. It’s calling everyone to look upon our world and pull together. Bad Touch don’t do political stances, but we do believe that as people, if we stand together, we can achieve anything we want to.

*Bonus Track on CD Edition:

*Something About Your Kiss
This is a real step outside of Bad Touch’s comfort zone. With the help of the man with the magic fingers, our producer, Nick Brine, I think we’ve created something special. Influenced by songs like “Seagull” by Bad Company, this song has a real spooky, folk, Fleetwood Mac vibe. We love it. Get ready for a big guitar solo… that’s all I’m saying.