Album of the week: The Angels change frontman again, reach peak Brewster

The latest frontman for The Angels may be a familiar face for many, while the Brewster factor looms larger than ever. ALBUM OF THE WEEK

The latest incarnation of The Angels

This week’s album review from The Courier-Mail (ratings out of five stars):

ROCK

The Angels, Ninety Nine

(Bloodlines) ★★★

The Angels’ first original studio album in a decade also debuts their first frontman whose name doesn’t end in “eeson”. The band’s former drummer Nick Norton has the unenviable task of filling not only Doc Neeson’s but Dave Gleeson’s shoes - he handles it with aplomb, by the way - while John Brewster’s sons Sam and Tom ensure the band now has more Brewsters than Crowded House has Finns! Norton doesn’t try to ape either of his predecessors, though his vocal style is closer to that of Gleeson. Pulsating opener Ninety Nine (Go For Broke) takes aim at the richest 1 per cent, while Blue Winter has echoes of Tom Petty’s Refugee. There’s the backbeat of Follow the Red Thread and the epic Floydian guitar solo of Heart to Heart. The set closes on a high with Hue and Cry, whose frenetic harp and driving rhythm recall classic numbers like Eat City.

PREVIOUS REVIEWS

ALT-COUNTRY

The Smith & Western Jury, Hotel Texas

(Independent) ★★★

Not to be confused with Smith & Wesson - but with everything in common with country and western - this Melbourne quartet come out shooting from the hip on their six-years-in-the-making debut. From the warbling vocals and rambling rhythm of opener Have Mercy it’s apparent that while they’re proud Melburnians the band are, as their name suggests, unashamedly Americana (and even occasionally Mexicana, as heard on Bow Ties and Bull——). Upbeat breakup lament Cowboy Blues, with its driving keyboard, is a reminder that staring at the phone used to mean something different. And they reach peak twang on Do Your Worst, Button That Collar and poignant campfire ditty Hurt Like Hell: “All I know is that the sun will always rise.” The instrumentation is more than competent, but the real revelation is Samantha Lombardi’s voice.

ROCK

Bon Jovi, Forever

(Island/Universal) ★★½

Jon Bon Jovi’s eponymous band have been rocking us for nearly four decades, so it’s little wonder their 16th studio album (and first in four years) reflects on life and legacy. Their hard-rocking past has given way to middle-aged, middle-of-the-road territory more akin to Train or Nickelback. “We were full of 17... sometimes what you want ain’t what you need,” the frontman sings on We Made It Look Easy. “Jersey Shore cover bands, coupla friends in the stands on a Saturday night.” Elsewhere he observes: “We’re Seeds, reaching for life in the weeds.” Living Proof sports a Living on a Prayer-like guitar effect as it celebrates family legacy, while anthemic ode My First Guitar is another highlight. He’s the proud but forlorn father on obligatory swaying ballad Kiss the Bride, which will be a must-add for wedding playlists among the Bon Jovi demographic. And in the most divisive US election year in history, they try to maintain the union on The People’s House. For ardent fans it’s familiar comfort food, for those hoping for something new there’s nothing to see (or hear) here.

Originally published as Album of the week: The Angels change frontman again, reach peak Brewster