Here we have a true 'labor of love' from the band calling themselves Motor Sister. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, for his 50th birthday, wanted to try and get a reunion together of one of his favorite bands, Mother Superior, but not only get them to reunite, the catch was HE wanted to join the band. Enter ex-Mother Superior guitarist/vocalist Jim Wilson, who had been working with Scott's wife Pearl Aday on her solo career for years, and showed great interest in this potential project. Also inviting some close friends like bassist Joey Vera (Fates Warning/Armored Saint) and drummer John Tempesta (White Zombie/The Cult), this collaborative decided to call themselves Motor Sister, named after the Mother Superior song "Little Motor Sister", and some jams eventually turned into the album Ride, with the band revisiting many Mother Superior classics.
On to the music, if you are not familiar with the Mother Superior catalog from the early '90s, the band were firmly rooted in the hard rock sounds of the '70s, but with the attitude of the early grunge scene wrapped around it. Images of vintage KISS, Motorhead, Humble Pie, and Led Zeppelin abound on hard rockin' party anthems like "A Hole", "This Song Reminds Me of You" and "Beg Borrow Steal", while the dueling vocals from Pearl & Jim on the emotional "Fool Around" bring to mind Southern Rock legends Rossington Collins Band. "Get That Girl" has plenty of groove, and "Head Hanging Low" again features those lush vocal harmonies over some crisp guitar textures and bouncy rhythms. "Fork in the Road" is one of the albums heavier numbers, with Jim & Scott's guitar riffs slashing on top of beefy rhythms, and ""Pretty in the Morning" almost sounds like vintage Ted Nugent/Derek St. Holmes guitar raunch, complete with some sizzling riffs that never let up and powerful vocals. "Doghouse", "Whore", "Devil Wind", and "Little Motor Sister" are unmistakably influenced by the great British act UFO, with Wilson's vocals even coming close to the whiskey drenched tone of Phil Mogg.
All in all, Ride is indeed a fun album, and for any longtime fans of Mother Superior this will be an enjoyable trip down memory lane. The band obviously had a blast recording this, and it will be interesting to see where they go from here. With all their regular day jobs taking priority, we might not see anything else out of this camp for a while, and when we do, will it be more Mother Superior re-imaginings, or original material? Time will tell.
Track Listing
- A Hole
- This Song Reminds Me of You
- Beg Borrow Steal
- Fool Around
- Get That Girl
- Head Hanging Low
- Fork in the Road
- Little Motor Sister
- Pretty in the Morning
- Whore
- Doghouse
- Devil Wind
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
