Scarlet Rebels crashed into the UK top 10 last time out, and they have always been ready for arenas. That’s not even out of reach these days. Massive Wagons have done it, so have their countrymen Those Damn Crows.
And there’s a suggestion here that for “Where The Colours Meet” they’ve decided that this is the “one”. That feel is all over the record, but it runs deeper.
Singer Wayne Doyle has been on Times Radio, and production teams don’t get more crack than Colin Richardson and Chris Clancy.
So what’s the result of all this? A different, more mature Scarlet Rebels? Well yeah, kind of. There’s certainly a bit of that on “Secret Drug” a Bon Jovi circa “These Days” feel to the guitar. That’s the case too, on “Let Me In”
This brave (and it is) new(ish) world is best thought of in terms of “It Was Beautiful” and let’s be honest here, you aren’t listening to this and not thinking about Stereophonics. Plus if Kelly and the lads had this one, they’d all have another Gold Disc in the downstairs bog.
Chris Jones’ lead guitar is on point throughout, but nowhere better than on “Grace”, one of a number here that seem to matter, as it were. Never mind the soaring chorus, this is brilliant because they mean it.
The same is true of “Declining”. Anthemic? You bet. But if you’ve suffered depression, you know a fellow traveller when you hear one.
Nothing fake here.
Right in the middle of this, is “Out Of Time”. Look it’s got Elles Bailey on it so it gets bonus points for that alone (and even for Elles she’s fabulous here), but it’s a brilliant ballad and duets are always ace.
Scarlet Rebels have always made their political views clear – and walk the walk with their charity work- there are a couple of songs that underline that here. “How Much Is Enough” is the first, and there’s more than a flavour of Springsteen about it.
But of all the personal ones, you imagine the ambitious and expansive “Practice Run” is the one that has the most hurt contained within. “Streets Of Fire” is perhaps the one that recalls their earlier work the most of all, and “Who Wants To Be In Love Anyway” knows it’s loss.
As good as “….Meet” is though, it saves its best for last. “Divide And Conquer” is as neat an excoriation of the rule of the Tories as you’ll find, and with the greatest respect to Elles Bailey, the fact that “My House My Rules” is written by Ricky Warwick is even more exciting.
Even better, it sounds like someone is covering a Ricky Warwick song.
It’s a fine and fitting end to a record that, although not a significant change, is most definitely different than before.
And the more you hear it, the more you hear the likes of Jovi and Springsteen. I’ve mentioned them already but will mention them again simply because of this:
“Where The Colours Meet” is Scarlet Rebels’ third album, the same as “Slippery When Wet” or “Born To Run”.
Whether any album can break through like that in this increasingly fragmented world is open to question, but that doesn’t mean you shouldnt have the ambition to try.
Rating 8.5/10
