LOLA BLACK
“NOTHING’S GONNA BE ALRIGHT”
Album Review By Iron Mathew

8/10

Lola Black are a hard rock/metal/punk band from the USA formed in 2012 by singer Lola Black, releasing the ‘Dia de Los Borracho’s’ E.P. the same year. Over the next few years Lola Black performed regularly, building their fan base through electrifying and energetic stage shows, releasing the single ‘Sorrow And Sin’ in 2016. The band spent the majority of 2017 writing and recording for an album, with the first single ‘Nothing’s Gonna Be Alright’, released in 2018 and the album set for a summer release.

Recent years has seen hard rock become modern rock, music with attitude and aggression. Bands such as Devilskin, Fire Red Empress and Letters From The Fire spring to mind as exponents of this genre, who are now joined by American rockers Lola Black. Led by singer Lola Black, the band teased their new album earlier this year with the release of (the single) ‘Nothing’s Gonna Be Alright’. Pulsating with attitude, ‘Nothing’s Gonna Be Alright’ is a mid tempo, heavy hitting modern rock song with a superb vocal performance by Lola. Her voice is powerful, and very wide ranging, as you will hear as the album progresses. ‘How To Say Goodbye’ may sound like the title of a ballad, but hell no, it is a heavy foot stomp that packs a heavyweight punch and will knock you to the floor as it strides purposefully on by. Second single off the album ‘All In’ is an angst fuelled stab of vicious proportions. A thunderous rhythm, buzzing guitars and a more raging vocal performance hardens the albums feel, pushing it towards progressive rock, indie, alternative, grunge and punk!

Staying with a mix of the aforementioned genres, ‘Reason To Believe’ is a meandering thunderstorm, with the catchiest chorus heard on the album so far. For the first time, the feeling of infectiousness creeps in to the album as ‘Reason To Believe’ gives the listener a reason to sing a long. And at last, the album starts throwing out hooks and melodies that an old rocker (like myself) much prefers to the modern rock of the modern era. Am I feeling old? Damn right I am…! But when ‘One Of A Kind’ comes thundering in, upping tempo and injecting a massive amount of energy, old style hard rock comes to the fore and this old man feels young again… ‘One Of A Kind’ is a corker and comes at just the right time to rekindle my interest in the album. ‘Hot Enough’ maintains the albums new hard rock direction, thumping hard and kicking harder. Catchy heavy rock has taken over the album in a big way, and I am now smiling as for the second song in a row my head is nodding and feet are tapping.

And that is the brilliance and awe of listening to new music, you never know which direction it’ll go in next or what corner it may turn. Lighters at the ready as ‘Brand New Hole’ glides in all mellow and moody, becoming a slow and heavy foot stomping power ballad. A much softer tone heard from Lola, she stretches her voice high and wide as ‘Brand New Hole’ marches on. ‘I’d Rather Die’ is a late 1990’s/early 2000’s style hard rock offering that reminds of an era of evolution for rock music, with the grunge genre a major change in its direction. ‘I’d Rather Die’ could well have been written and released nearly twenty years ago, it is that much of a nostalgia trip, and I am loving it. ‘Never Gonna Let You Go’ is a bustling swagger of hard rock, catchy and infectious, with a cracking anthemic style chorus. Final song on the album is a cover song, ‘Starboy’ by The Weeknd featuring Daft Punk from their 2016 album ‘Starboy’. Lola Black adds a hard rocking edge to ‘Starboy’ but for me it is more like a bonus offering, and with it’s rap style singing and racial lyrics, it is a song I can happily live without.

Overall, a heavy hitting blend of rock, grunge, alternative and punk, Lola Black deliver forty minutes of attitude fuelled and passionate, modern rock.

TRACKLIST

Nothing’s Gonna Be Alright
How To Say Goodbye
All In
Reason To Believe
One Of A Kind
Hot Enough
Brand New Hole
I’d Rather Die
Never Gonna Let You Go
Starboy

https://www.lolablackmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lolablackmusic/

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