The fact that “Ride Or Die” starts with an intro tells its own story. The Karma Effect are not messing around.
Album number three swaggers from the get-go. It drips with lust. And if “looking for a lover who will treat her right” might sound a bit dated in most hands, then you are labouring under a misapprehension. You are assuming The Karma Effect give a shit what you think.
Rather, after the solo here, there’s an arena rock bit that you just know they are going to play live.
Indeed, there is an energy here. “Dangerous Love” could have been on “Permanent Vacation” in 1987, and there would not have been a single complaint from this corner.
This is expertly done. “Lady Bohemian” changes the pace, not quite Bon Jovi, but certainly with hints of some Stateside dreams. And it needs saying that in Henry Gottelier they have a magnificent vocalist.
They have that air of a band that knows they are good. The Karma Effect turbocharge the blues on “Raised On Rock N Roll”, and it is tempting to imagine the collective members of the band, bandanas firmly in place, taking over the sandpit with riffs when they were about three years old. That is how steeped in what they call “modern vintage” they are.
They groove. They really do. And such is their nose for trouble that the hook of “Bad Manners” – “it’s bad manners baby if you don’t say please” – probably ain’t the sort of misbehaving at the table we were told off for as kids.
“Closest Thing To Crazy” is another ballad, but the fact they have keys all over this one takes it somewhere else. There is polish here, but more importantly, there is feel.
But – and I’ll accept this is personal choice – the rockier ones are perfect for them. “Waiting For A Miracle” is drenched in the same type of horns that early Little Angels had, and, if you’re of a certain age, you may be transported back to the days of Tommy Vance, wondering just how big TKE would have been in that era.
The fact is, though, that by the time they’ve got the harmonica out on “Better Luck Next Time”, the sheer class of this stuff means it doesn’t matter whether it is 1990 or 2026. They are just stunning.
“Long Gone” gets a little funky, but dig a little deeper and it is actually a vicious put-down of celebrity culture, so kudos for that.
The title track sounds like one of those songs that used to turn up on the compilation tapes you’d get at Christmas. The ones that always had a couple of absolute gems on them that stuck with you forever. This is one of them, obviously.
There is another world where this is an Americana record, and “One More For The Road” isn’t even hiding its love for The Black Crowes. That ends the main album, while the bonus track here is an acoustic affair. Think “GnR Lies”. “Chasing Sunsets” reckons it is in the soul. The whole thing sounds like it is.
Their last one crashed into the Top 20 album charts. No one really expected it. They do this time. The intent is clear.
“Cruel Intentions” is their third album. The one that used to break a band.
Just saying.
RATING 9/10
