For a while there, I thought Tuk Smith was going to save rock ‘n’ roll. He should—and I honestly mean this—be one of the biggest rock ‘n’ roll stars on the planet.
And since I’ve stolen an Oasis song title above, it’s worth noting that amidst all the coverage surrounding their reformation, one thing stood out. Steve Lamacq on Radio 4 said, “There are no rock stars anymore.”
Mate, there’s Tuk.
Which brings us to *Rogue To Redemption*, album number two, and it’s moving things along from where the last one left off.
That much is evident from the start with “Take The Long Way.” Kind of a surprise, as it’s cut from the same cloth as Springsteen. “Ain’t been the same since I was kicked out of the stadium,” sings Tuk. Yeah, maybe, but this sound belongs there. He’s always belonged there.
“Glorybound” has one of those riffs you think you know, and then you realize where it’s from. This is the best song Gaslight Anthem never wrote.
The classic rock influence continues with “End Of An Era,” which channels some Mott The Hoople vibe, back from when all the young dudes were just that. Yet, it doesn’t feel like the end at all—more like they’re just getting started.
Tuk Smith simply loves rock ‘n’ roll. Look, he knows “Still A Dreamer” sounds like Thin Lizzy. Hell, I’d wager he loves Thin Lizzy as much as I do. These are his dreams.
They are all our dreams. When I was nine and heard Bon Jovi for the first time in ’86, they were mine too. That’s why “Little Renegade” is packed so full of knowing references to rock’s history.
Perhaps because I’m writing this on the day that Oasis reformed—and yes, I know I’ve already mentioned them—but there’s a hell of a lot of the Gallagher brothers in “Blood On The Stage” with its acoustic elements.
Maybe, just maybe, “Lost Boy” is autobiographical? Did the redemption come from music? It sounds like it. It sounds like he’s found his “way home,” as the chorus puts it.
“Down The Road” changes the vibe again. You can imagine Enuff Z’Nuff singing it (so I guess it sounds like The Beatles…), but if *Rogue To Redemption* has a hinterland, then it’s in its title track and the screeching guitar at the end.
It might wrap up with another glam stomper, “When The Party’s Over,” but is it really over?
It never will be for Tuk Smith or his Restless Heart.
He’s a rock ‘n’ roll lifer. He says it himself: “I want to do something that means something to people,” Tuk says, “because a lot of stuff nowadays is so disposable and so plastic. I just don’t connect with that. I’d like to do things that impact people positively. It’s a weird time on the planet, so to have songs about hope, but not be cheesy about it, is something I think we need with songwriting. That’s the kind of music I want to hear.”
He’s done that.
Tuk Smith needs rock ‘n’ roll, but this album proves rock ‘n’ roll needs him just as much.
Rating: 9.5/10
REVIEW: TUK SMITH AND THE RESTLESS HEARTS – ROGUE TO REDEMPTION (2024)
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