Lucky Strikes - Gabriel, Forgive Me My 22 Sins

  by Jon Rogers

published: 2 / 3 / 2011

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Review

To call ‘Gabriel, Forgive My 22 Sins’, the Lucky Strikes’ third album eclectic would be selling the quartet short. The band might hail from Southend-on-Sea but they are in love with all things American, and particularly Americana. There’s blues, country, gospel, heavy as well as prog rock... And what’s this? Oh they have thrown in the kitchen sink as well. From the sound of it the band must have pretty impressive record collections. Styles and genres are liberally thrown about and songs can chop and change. It could all be a recipe for disaster – a sort of tale of jack of all trades, master of none affair but the band are accomplished and pull it off. Still it doesn’t quite work and there is the murky spectre of a concept album underpinning it all. ‘Gabriel...’ tells the tale of one Frankie Valentinez, apparently a real person, who was a promising boxer who threw a fight for some shady underworld types and that was the start of his slide into drug addiction, alcoholism and violent crime. They’d perhaps like to think they’ve read the works of writers like Nelsen Algren or Charles Bukowski, but never really quite convey the seedier side of life. Whereas singers like a young Tom Waits captured it all in songs about people ‘on the nickel’ on Skid Row, the Lucky Strikes seem to be caught up in the romantic notion of it all with big rousing choruses and a pretty melody. In effect the music doesn’t quite match the lyrics. It’s all rather decent enough – well played, crafted songs and slickly produced – but it’s difficult to actually really get too enthused by it all.

Track Listing:-

1 The Boxer, The Bribe And A Father
2 Easily, Easily Until It's Done
3 The Road
4 Gabriel
5 Snake In The Grass
6 Slowly The Night Fades
7 Bel & The Dragon
8 The Fight
9 Man With The Golden Arm
10 Codeine
11 Romans 8
12 We Are Waves

Band Links:-

http://www.theluckystrikes.co.uk/disco
https://www.facebook.com/TheLuckyStrik
https://twitter.com/theluckystrikes
https://www.youtube.com/user/LuckyStri

Label Links:-

http://www.stoveponyrecords.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/stovepony
https://twitter.com/stovepony