Freerock Saints: Electric Passion

Having ploughed his furrow for a long and lonely time on the Greek rock scene, it would appear that teaming up with Grooveyard Records really has set guitarist Stavros Papadopoulos's spirit free. Not content with ripping out authentic good times with Super Vintage and stamping his blues authority down hard with Universal Hippies, this ever inspired six-string man has also teamed up with fellow countrywoman Areti Valavanopoulou in Freerock Saints. Releasing their stunning Blue Pearl Union debut at the tail of 2016, twelve months down the line the four piece, rounded out by the rhythm juggernaut of bassist Dinos Maltezos and drummer Chris Lagios, are back and this time their veins are pumping with Electric Passion. And that's exactly what you'll find right across this thirteen track stunner of an album, huge guitar licks combined to mighty vocals, all underpinned by thunderous grooves and joyous hard rock expulsions. When you consider the amount of female fronted rock that is quite rightly turning heads right now and also that blues rich guitars are once more ruling the roost, then Freerock Saints really are perfectly positioned to go global. Don't believe me? Then sit back and feel your hairs stand on end as the guitar solo from "Reason To Live" washes over you – building slowly from a soothing swathe into a torrent of fret flexing fury.

The foot seldom lifts off the rip 'em up and shout 'em out pedal, "Rocking In The Fast Lane" adding a cleverly commercial edge that in a fair world would see it be known far and wide, while the hip shimmying vista of "Southern Sky" just refuses to let you go. However when this album does ease off the blues power ever so slightly a reimagining of the lesser know Heart classic "Sing Child" turns into the sort of blues-funk hybrid Glenn Hughes would sell his bouffant for. An already excellent number given a new outlook and coming out better than ever before. Add in the heart warming acoustic closer "First Water" and the pulsating guitar heart of this album is also matched by its inner strength and beauty.

Valavanopoulou is imperious throughout, tender and passionate, powerful and pulsating, her voice is not just a match for the six string talents on display. Instead this is a lady more than capable of leading from the front on songs like the mid-paced burner "Beautiful Dissonance" (which features some thought provoking lyrics from Sami Romagnola) and the self explanatory "Funky Mama", which comes with a 60s b-movie intro but really should come with a health warning, it's so damn potent. When you factor in the gargantuan grooves, raucous riffs and stupendous solos of Papadopoulos then it's no wonder that this Electric Passion is burning bright and digging in deep.

Track Listing
1. MADE FOR FREEDOM

2. REASON TO LIVE

3. ROCKING IN THE FAST LANE

4. PASSION CITY

5. SING CHILD

6. BEAUTIFUL DISSONANCE

7. SOUTHERN SKY

8. THE REASON WHY

9. BLIND

10. FUNKY MAMA

11. WHY LIE?

12. SOUL TRAIN RIDE

13. FIRST WATER

Added: January 28th 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Electric Passion @ The Grooveyard
Hits: 2211
Language: english

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