Album Reviews
For his fourth album, UK acoustic punk troubadour (I believe that’s his official job title) Sam Russo approached things a bit differently. After calling in the help of some friends, he started banging out half an album’s worth of loud punk rock songs just the way we like ‘em. The second half (or Side B for the vinyl lovers) finds Russo shifting back into solo mode. Unconventional? Sure. Risky? Not really. It just goes to show you can’t hold a good song down.
‘Hold You Hard’ kicks things off with the single ‘Gator Lodge,’ a song about “a motel in Gainesville that has a little piece of my heart”. All big, soaring melodies, it’s the kind of uplifting, nostalgic song that will have you singing along in no time while giving you the warm fuzzies. And while not every song deals with the US hospitality industry, the description goes for every single song on the album.
Whether you’re talking about the Big Rock of ‘Santa Monica Waves’ or the intimate ‘Lifeguard Tower, Russo always delivers. Honest, heartfelt and catchy.
Make sure you catch Sam Russo on tour later this year with Brendan Kelly and Teenage Bottlerocket!
Hold You Hard track listing:
- Gator Lodge
- Bruises and Sunburn
- Graveyard
- Santa Monica Waves
- Whinny Whinny
- The Muckleshoot Casino
- Lifeguard Tower
- Bait Machine
- Padlocks and Germs Burns
- Unsolved Mysteries
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
