Review Sideburn - Cherry Red 2008

Tracks
1. Gimme the Way
2. Hurricane Race
3. Six Feet Under
4. Cherry Red
5. Lane
6. Rock and Roll Queen
7. Down and Dirty
8. Bring the Hammer Down
9. Ghost of 1980
10. Lipstick Lady
11. Wild Boy
12. Stand your Ground

Band:
Roland Pierrehumbert: Lead Vocal
Fred Gudit: Rythm Guitar
Boris: Lead Guitar
Michel Demierre: Bass
Lionel Blanc: Drums

Discography:
Stranded (92 as Genocide)
Stranded (94 as Genocide)
Sell your Soul For Rock ´n´ roll (97)
Crocodile (02)
Gasoline (04)
Archives (06)

Links:
sideburn.ch
myspace
hang loose records

In the summer time, the hills are covered in beautiful green grass all the way up to the snow covered tips of the Alpern landscape. Because just like Gotthard and Krokus, Sideburn can write Switzerland as their heritage and until this release they can show six albums. Maybe Sideburn can complete a holy trio of Swiss bands, at least ‘Cherry Red’ feel as a step against something like that. The band have played for a while now, but the big success has stayed in their native Switzerland, if something at all.

Sideburn plays rock ´n´ roll, according to the old school model – the old and classic one, some might say but I rather call it out dated. No, that was no complain, I actually think it’s good that some bands keep on playing these older music styles so they won’t die away. It sustains the musical industry and enrich it as many new musical directions keeps coming all the time and as long as the old ones are not forgotten the industry keeps getting bigger and better.

Normally, when these kind of bands is played by my elderly parents I just scream to them to lower the volume or turn it off, but when ‘Cherry Red’ is played I actually don’t either scream nor urge to turn the music off. And I probably won’t either, neither today or tomorrow because this isn’t bad at all.

I knew from the moment I saw the cover that this couldn’t be some half hearted production send to us by a desperate band in search of fame and fortune. If Sideburn have a cover this pretty and then make the effort to find even this small Swedish magazine and send it to us, they better well be damn sure that the album is good! And yes! This is old timer rock in it’s oldest way. Bands like Status Quo and the album fresh AC/DC better watch out as Sideburn comes roaring out of the pit-lane. The band clearly shows why they’ve kept in the business since the eighties – the routine knows it’s way around the guitars and yet the arm strength of the drummer hasn’t dried up. ‘Cherry Red’ is an album created by a band that by now have plenty of knowledge in where they want to go with their music and doubtless knows how to get there. For a rock ´n´ roll band, they actually make pretty interesting music. Not that they are creative in an inventive meaning, but no one said that either, right? The strength in this band rest in their ability to deliver what they control – a guitar oriented rock in the best Lynyrd Skynyrd fashion.

My guess is that Bob Catley envy vocalist Roland Pierrehumbert, but me, I’m no bigger fan of this hair raising singing that sounds like old men on a toilet. Not all that unlike Ted Nugent sometimes and some other people from that era that I haven’t mentioned.

Shortly, one might say that Sideburn play easy and almost cosy rock ´n´ roll and everyone that likes that can glutter in this cherry until their face gets red. My guess is that it’ll taste pretty sweet and temptating for the little wasps to put their stings in the air and rock away! Let the cherry do the talking.

HHHHHHH

Written on 10-21-08