| ZINNY J. ZAN - 'CITY BOY BLUES' (The Metallian) | |
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For
Your Rights is right next and has a sleazier melody. It is slower
and has a message about freedom of speech. Is that Axl himself
singing back up on this one? Point
Of No Return picks up the pace again with its kick-off ominous
riff. It goes on to explode into a hard-edged riff. The vocals
too are
sharp and angry on this song. Lost Generation is another commercial
up-tempo hard rocker with Lynott on vocals - just can't get over
this - and has more intelligent lyrics about self-empowerment.
This one is catchy as hell. Reach For The Sky comes, ironically,
with
a more gloomy beginning. This sad power ballad would have been
on heavy rotation on M$TV were this 1987. Those vocal harmonies
present
two distinct styles throughout this (nearly) six-minute song. The
song before last is called Blow By Blow and is a weaker composition.
The vocals are semi-rapped and the power chords, although later
lightened by a solo reminiscent of George lynch, are primitive
overall. The
boy comes to a stop with the song Wild As A Rose. This bud is both
slower and bluesier. Slide guitars and acoustic guitars mingle
for an effect reminiscent of an unplugged Tesla crossed with Aerosmith.
Like it or not, the courage of this material is undeniable. Ali "The Metallian" |
Zinny
J Zan is the Swedish former singer for Shotgun Messiah and Easy
Action who after a lengthy absence from the scene has now returned
with the release of City Boy Blues via Fastlane Records. With a
little help from a couple of old Shotgun Messiah colleagues and
Motorhead's Mickey Dee, Zinny's album comes across as a mixture
of Thin Lizzy, Tesla and the The London Quireboys. Pay special
attention to that first name for it's a comparison which will come
up often. City Boy Blues has a nice sound and manages to be melodic
without coming across as forced. It's "Sweden-gone-L.A.-glam" which
oddly enough, not having a bio, comes across as if fronted by two
singers. One of whom sounds like a dead ringer for Lizzy's Phil
Lynott, while the other has a less bluesy vice. This boy kicks
off the blues with the title track which is a song where the singer
sounds particularly close to Lynott, Grin 'n' Bear It is more of
a crossover L.A. tune which sports a solid hard-rocking rhythm.
The leads are fluid and the backing vocals harmonic. This is a
fun song which rocks. Love Is Like Fire gives a nod to both Aerosmith
and Kix. It is a slower track about the time-honoured 'baby.' Are
those slide guitars in the background? Hollywood is completely
Thin Lizzy again. The song has cool leads. This is followed by
I Believe, a more straightforward rocker whose vocal phrasings
are actually reminiscent of Big Country. The solo is soulful and
wailing.