Alan and the boys get their rocks off
You can almost hear the pride. Hell, if you have ever seen King King you can picture Alan Nimmo’s broad smile as he says, “thanks gang, enjoy yourselves.”
The pivotal moment on “Exile And Grace” comes on “Tear It All Up” when just after the solo comes this verse: “now here we are,” offers Nimmo. “The boys and me/right here where we needed to be….”
To understand what this means, and in so doing, make sense of “Exile And Grace” itself, there’s a couple of things you need to know.
First, the “where” is Wembley Arena, and “the boys” are opening for Thunder at the culmination of an arena tour that moved King King from an award-winning blues band (and a list of their accolades would take the rest of this review) to genuine crossover stars.
There is little doubt too, that this has infused “Exile And Grace.” The nine songs that make up their fourth record are rockier than ever before. The opener “(She Don’t) Gimmie No Lovin’” as well as being superb, could come straight off Thunder’s “Backstreet Symphony” album, and its far from the only one.
This, though is not as big a change as it might first sound. KK are a band who always explored the more rock end of blues, and those who love the wonderful organ work of Bob Fridzema will find much to love in “Heed The Warning” ,as he is right to the fore.
“Broken” is a dark song for dark times, but it is one that owes much to bands like Bad Company, which is balanced by the gorgeous balladic stylings of “Find Your Way Home”. this cut will become as much “…..Grace”’s anthem as “Rush Hour” was on 2015’s “Reaching For The Light” record.
Earlier this year MV saw the band live – as we have done plenty of times before – this time, though Alan Nimmo acknowledged his love of Free and covered their song “Heavy Load”, the influence of Paul Rodgers’ men is clearly seen on “Betrayed Me” and “Long Time Running” has echoes of The Faces and The Stones, while the piano here really elevates it to something special, as Wayne Proctor’s thumping beat propels it along,
A record with barely a weak verse, never mind a bad song, continues with “Nobody Knows Your Name”, a lament on the trappings of being a rock star perhaps, with Nimmo reflecting: “this life is not for me, black stockings and limousines”.
It ends with the one that maybe builds the bridge between the past and present. “I Don’t Wanna Lie” will doubtless be turned into a jam in a live setting, here though it is a closer worthy of this brilliantly cohesive piece of work and allows Nimmo the opportunity to play a fine bluesy solo.
It is perhaps instructive that this collection is mixed by Chris Sheldon, who has worked with bands like the Foo Fighters and Therapy? And his touch adds more meat to the sound. The album completes King King’s journey into being one of the best classic rock bands there is. It is a transition that you always thought they’d make one day, and one perhaps they needed to? It helps that KK are made up of four of the most talented individuals currently making music. It is our wonderful fortune that they happen to be in the same band.
“Exile And Grace” is merely proof that there is nothing they cannot do.
Rating 9.5/10
