Whitford/St. Holmes: ‘Reunion’
WHITFORD/ST. HOLMES
REUNION
To be released on June 3, 2016 (Mailboat Records)
Review:
God bless Brad Whitford. While his singer is out pandering to the ‘bro country’ crowd and his co-guitarist is touring with a glorified cover band; he’s reached out to singer/guitarist Derek St. Holmes and reunited to do another Whitford/St.Holmes album. The latest effort was issued independently in the fall of 2015. The album appropriately titled Reunion will be released on June 3rd, by Mailboat Records who have issued records by Sammy Hagar, Bret Michaels and Joe Elliott’s Down ‘n’ Outz in recent years.
There are many reunions that don’t have the same chemistry that the initial partnership had… that isn’t the case here. Derek St. Holmes can still sing; his vocal abilities are on par with what we have heard on the Ted Nugent records where we first discovered him. He’s got soul, he’s got charisma and he can sell the song — even the ones that aren’t as memorable. While targeted as a ‘rock’ record, Reunion does have some tracks that are on the ‘lighter side’ and might have crossover potential. A perfect example of a ‘softer’ moment is “Tender Is the Night.” There’s just a great poppy ballad with a little twang to it. No surprise there as the duo currently resides in Nashville.
While there’s nothing ‘ground breaking’ taking place on Reunion, it is however a fun record that showcases amusing moments like “Hot for You,” “Catch My Fall,” and “Shake It.” Whitford/St. Holmes left off where they did in in ’81 on their ‘self-titled’ debut; delivering soulful, no frills, catchy, rock ‘n’ roll. It would have been fantastic to have heard more over the top guitars on the ‘rock’ tracks, but it is a solid record nonetheless.
Track List for Disc 1:
01. Shapes
02. Tender Is the Night
03. Rock All Day
04. Hot for You
05. Hell Is On Fire
06. Catch My Fall
07. Shake It
08. Gotta Keep On Movin’
09. Flood of Lies
Track List for Bonus Disc:
01. I Need Love
02. Whiskey Woman
03. Hold On
04. Sharpshooter
05. Every Morning
06. Action
07. Shy Away
08. Does It Really Matter
09. Spanish Boy
10. Mystery Girls
Band Members:
Brad Whitford – guitar
Derek St. Holmes – lead vocals, guitar
Chopper Anderson – bass
Troy Lucketta – drums
Band Websites:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
Reviewed by Ruben Mosqueda for Sleaze Roxx, June 2016