Some times good, honest rock 'n' roll is all you need, and a strong example of just how to deliver that is with Long Way to the Light, the latest High Roller Records release from Robert Pehrsson's Humbucker. This sophomore release sees the Swedish hard rock guitarist and his band pumping out nine melodic & energetic songs that contain tight arrangements, plenty of hooks, and of course tasty guitar playing. An obvious influence seems to be Thin Lizzy, and even a touch of Bob Seger and Tom Petty, with tunes like "Traveling Through the Dark", "Send Her My Love", and "Distant Bound" filled with crisp arrangements that accentuate the catchy hooks, memorable riffs, and dueling twin lead guitars. The lead & backing vocals are also extremely well done, adding a pop flair to these otherwise classic rock/hard rock arrangements, best heard on the addicting "Break Away from This Broken Heart", "Pretender", and the instantly memorable "Zero Emotion". "The Hollow in a Rising Tone" could have been a leftover from Thin Lizzy's Jailbreak with its great hook and rocking guitars, while the gritty hard rock of "No I Don't" features Tom Petty styled vocal harmonies over some shimmering riffing and driving rhythms, topped off by a brief but fiery guitar solo.
Long Way to the Light is ultimately a fun listen, full of songs that remind of all that was good about rock of the '70s and '80s. Nothing really heavy here, but plenty of great guitar work and never ending vocal hooks make it a recommended listen for anyone into vintage sounds. Of course, it's no surprise that a band out of Sweden crank out an album of this kind of quality...seems to be the norm these days, and you can now write in Robert Pehrsson's Humbucker as another group from that region of the world that you need to tune your radar onto.
Track Listing
01 Send Her My Love
02 Distant Bound
03 Traveling Through the Dark
04 Break Away from This Broken Heart
05 Pretender
06 Zero Emotion
07 The Hollow in a Rising Tone
08 The Somber Sleeps
09 No I Don't
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