Rosewood – Kevin K and The Bowery Kats (Vicious Kitten)
Around these parts, a new Kevin K album feels just like an old pair of slippers. The sound is lived in, equal parts Johnny Thunders, Stones and the New York Dolls, and the lyrical themes (usually loss, drugs and swimming against the tide) sit just right. Familiarity does not breed contempt.
Some folks say Kevin K is in the thrall of Thunders and there’s an awful lot of JT in his guitar squall and vocal drawl. That being the case, admiration stops just short of mimicry. The more enlightened think he’s giving a nod to (as opposed to being on the nod with) an enigmatic influence.
There are much worse things to be (dead is one of them) and if you can’t relate to Mr K flying a flag for the Lower East Side as it was, rather than what it is, Kayne West probably has a record with your name on it.
“Rosewood” is named after the South Carolina town where the record was recorded, in a studio and a rehearsal room that are apparently a stone’s throw from the site of the defunct bar (now a carpark) where the Dolls and Joey Ramone’s pre-Ramones glam band Sniper played a show in 1975.
For those singing along at home, Kevin K has uprooted himself from the bitter Michigan winter climate that spawned his angry last record, “Broken”, for warmer climes, backed by a band of bassist-guitarist Garrick Turner and drummer Karl Durden, who played in the Kevin K Band and Road Vultures.
The 10 songs are evenly divided between rock-struts and blues laments.
“Sometime In The Rain” is a an instant singalong and along with the defiant “How I Feel” (reprised from “Sealed Works”) is the pick of the bunch. “Movin’ On” is a bare bones see-ya-later serenade, and “I’ve Seen Better Days” a searing blues.
“What Will I Do” chases its own melodic tail with a Les Paul Jr filling in the gaps while “Last Train Home” deploys those omnipresent Thunders licks to fine effect. There’s no studio refinements or trickery at work and nor should there be. Six strings and a basic bass-and-guitar format still packs a punch.
It wouldn’t be a Kevin K record without a choice cover or two. His take on James Brown’s “Try Me” jars at first listen but makes sense after a couple of spins. “Brand New Cadillac” plods a little and doesn’t quite prowl with the same intensity as the version put down by The Clash.
Excuse a parochial note, but if you’re a “long time listener first time caller” in Australia and you don't want to be reamed by intyernational mailing charges, you can jump into the Kevin K thing and buy it relatively cheaply here because the Vicious Kitten record label is local. The rest of you should
