ERIC SARDINAS & BIG MOTOR – Boomerang

Shame on you if you haven’t heard Eric Sardinas yet. Especially if you’re into blues rock. Because this guy is something else, let me tell ya. He and his band – a trio – called Big Motor plays their music raw, hard and in your face and as Sardinas is playing the electric Dobro instead of the actual guitar their sound becomes very personal which is also helped by Sardinas raspy voice – the guy really doesn’t sound like anyone else. This new album is his sixth since he debuted with Treat Me Right in 1999, an album that promised a lot but didn’t really go all the way. But under the name of Eric Sardinas & Big Motor, this one is their third. The three first solo albums – the 2000 E.P. Angel Face not counted – which includes Devil’s Train (2001) and Black Pearls (2003) are all must-have albums for any rocker worth his / her name. But better yet are the albums that includes the name Big Motor, Eric Sardinas & Big Motor (2008) and the marvellous Sticks And Stones from 2011, that I believe are his / their masterpieces. Thing is, I’m not a huge blues freak. When it comes to pure blues and artists like Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters and B.B. King, I have a tendency to lose interest pretty fast. I can digest a few songs here and there, but then I get bored. Blues, just like country, is a kind of music I prefer to pour down in a blender with some rock or pop music, otherwise it sounds too monotone for these ears. And while Sardinas has always added a little rock – and even hard rock – to his blues, it was first with the addition of Big Motor that his music came out as I believe it should. As I said, his solo albums are all great, but with Big Motor, Sardinas hit pay dirt. Still raw and mean, he / they added a lot of rock groove and even some splendid catchiness to the mix – hell, Sticks And Stones even contains a ballad. But nowhere on his albums is any cheese to be found, everything is done with big integrity and dirty finger nails.

This means that every time there is a Eric Sardinas album on the way, I have something to look forward to a great deal and every time, my expectations rises a bit. That also makes every new album one step closer to a disappointment – I mean, you can’t better your records forever. Or can you? “Run Devil Run” sets the high quality standard on the spot. A big blues rock groover with a huge live feel and an in-your-face chorus makes it a real killer and sets the bar real high for the rest of the album. The title track follows and this must be the most straight forward hard rock song Sardinas and his motors has ever written. It has a really catchy melody and a kick ass punch – awesome! Things goes a bit slower with “Tell Me You’re Mine”, a slower hard rock blues that comes close to a ballad, but I reckon it’s a bit too rough to be called a ballad. “Bad Boy Blues” is a heavy blues number in a more traditional way – it’s actually pretty predictable, but in this case, that’s not a bad thing. Also Sardinas’ Dobro totally owns it. “If You Don’t Love Me” is the closest thing Sardinas have ever come to writing a pop song, but strip it down, that’s just what this is – albeit with a nice chunk of blues and rock in it. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the tune is a killer and the pop vibe suits Sardinas surprisingly well. We get a heavy traditional blues song, turned into a bit of a rocker in “Trouble” and with “Long Gone” we get an uptempo and catchy rocker, both songs are really awesome. Closing track “Heavy Loaded” is a short – real short – track, an old-time rocker kind of tune with only Sardinas’ Dobro and a Jew’s harp. Very cool way to finish off the album, but I would have liked the song to be a bit longer.

There really isn’t that much more to say about this album other than that Eric Sardinas and his Big Motor band has once again released a brilliant album. But did he better Sticks And Stones with this one, then? Well, I really can’t tell as I found Sticks And Stones such an amzing album, but so is this. I guess, for now, we have to call it a tie. But again, it needs to be said that this is blues and rock and nothing else and if you’re looking for AOR, metal or progressive rock, the you need to look elsewhere. But you really shouldn’t, even if blues is not your case of beer because what Sardinas and his band brings to the table is high quality, high-octane blues rock. stripped, raw, aggressive with cool melodies to die for. I would also recommend everyone to go see him if he ever plays a club near you because even though I love his records, it’s in a live enviroment where he is at his best. Now, buy this and crank it up, muthas!!!!

Jon Wilmenius (8/10)

Tracklist:

1. Run Devil Run
2. Boomerang
3. Tell Me You’re Mine
4. Morning Glory
5. Bad Boy Blues
6. If You Don’t Love Me
7. Trouble
8. Long Gone
9. How Many More Years
10. Heavy Loaded