Given that MV finally broke its duck and saw Jack J Hutchinson live for the first time the other week when he opened for FM, it seems an opportune moment for “Battle Scars Live”. The thing with Hutchinson is that what you get on record is exactly what you get live — raw, honest, passionate hard rock from a man who bleeds for what he does.
Recorded over two dates earlier this year, the collection captures the essence of a power trio that knows exactly what it’s doing. Jack J, along with bassist Greg Smith and drummer Phil Wilson, have that chemistry that only the best three-pieces possess — tight, instinctive and unpretentious.
“Let The Fuckers Get You Down” is as defiant as its title suggests, while “Constellations” has an energy and groove that maybe nods to Hendrix without ever falling into cliché. “Days Are Gone” feels like it comes straight from experience — bruised, real, and completely believable. “Road To Hell” offers a bleak kind of beauty, and “Love Is The Law” adds a soulful twist to the set, as well as being its kind of centrepiece.
The mood shifts throughout — “Deal With The Devil” is a short, sharp blast, while “Hip Slickin’” proudly embraces its sleaze. But it’s “I Will Follow You” that cuts the deepest. Written about Jack’s father’s battle with dementia, it’s a song he once thought he could never play live. Now, he does it every night — and with good reason. It’s heartfelt, moving, and gives the album its emotional core.
“Overdrive”, the single, shows his versatility too — classic rock energy with a modern punch. Like any great rock band, this record proves that if you try to pigeonhole Jack J Hutchinson, he’ll only break out of the box.
And maybe that’s the point. You get the sense with him that if he wasn’t in a band, he’d still be the first in line to watch one. But on the evidence of “Battle Scars Live”, few would be as good as his own.
Rating 8.5/10
