A cursory glance at Marco Mendoza’s CV reveals a man so busy over the past quarter-century or so – most recently with the Dead Daisies – it’s something of a miracle he’s found time to record this, his first collection of new tunes in seven years.
Unsurprisingly, he doesn’t stray from the classic rock blueprint he’s been pursuing for much of his career, and this album is all the better for it, rather than providing a vehicle for pretentious experimentation. The title track is a straightforward celebration of rock in all its glory, while Sweetest Emotion and Love 2 U bring the funk, and the Soundgarden-tinged Burned is perfectly balanced between light and shade. Ultimately, though, it’s the covers of Thin Lizzy’s Chinatown and Ted Nugent’s Hey Baby that speak volumes about where Mendoza is coming from.
All together an easy-going blast from beginning to end.
