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SNAKECHARMER
Second Skin
Frontiers Music Srl - 2017
http://www.snakecharmer.org

There are times when you stumble across a band that makes you regret having missed out on them their first time out.

The second album from SNAKECHARMER accomplishes that feat with me. Second Skin is the latest release from the band and I found it so good that I'm more than a bit sad that I missed out on the band when they put out their first album.

Founded by ex-WHITESNAKE members Neil Murray (bass) and Micky Moody (guitar), the band plays some straight out bluesy edged rock and roll. The sound is straight out of the 70's rock and roll era, but it is far from sounding dated. Moody left the band and was replaced by Simon McBride but the guitar work on this album is still top notch. Whether a rock power chord, a bluesy riff or an acoustic run through, McBride and Laurie Wisefield are, unsurprisingly, able to deliver whatever a song needs.

And will someone please give me an explanation on how I have missed out on singer Chris Ousey until now? The HEARTLAND singer is freaking amazing! From the opener "Sounds Like A Plan" through the closing number "Where Do We Go From Here", Ousey's voice provides a captivating hook to the superb musical soundtrack.

The band tends to trick the listener at times. Some of the songs start off slow and you find yourself thinking they are throwing in an awful lot of ballads. But on cuts like "Are You Ready To Fly" and "I'll Take You As You Are", you soon find yourself in the midst of some incredible wall of rock and roll sound.

The lyrical content is catchy, the storytelling strong on tracks like "That Kind Of Love" and "Punching Above My Weight". The latter song starts off as an acoustic based track for the first minute and then turns into a simply superb rocker. The band is really on fire with "Hell Of A Way To Live", fueled by a thumping intro and a great vocal take.

I was a little disappointed that "Fade Away" came out so flat though. Also, while I did like "Where Do We Go From Here" on the whole, the way the song starts out you are expecting a lengthy epic type of track. Instead though, the song ends up feeling a might unfinished because just as it gets going, it's over.

However, that's a small kind of note and I'm not really all bent out of shape about it. Not when I can always point to fast tempo rockers like "Follow Me Under", which has a smoking groove that sets the ears aflame. Or you can just rock out with "Dress It Up", which speeds along nicely.

I was looking forward to this album because the advance songs put out before the album's release sounded intriguing. Happily, SNAKECHARMER does exactly what the second half of their name implies...it charms. A slice of bluesy hard rock done right, with great music and a vocalist that really fits the bill. Second Skin is a second chance for anyone who missed out on the band's first album and you'll find yourself having a ball listening to it.

4.5 Out Of 5.0

Grab your copy of Second Skin in the KNAC.COM More Store right HERE.