Powerpop CD Review: The Connection’s Let It Rock
Last year, the northeast (and specifically the Boston area) produced some great pop including last year’s favorite from Didn’t Planet. This year, The Connection’s Let It Rock continues the trend. With influences from The Stones to Chuck Berry to Dave Edmunds & NicK Lowe’s Rockpile, Let It Rock is both refreshingly new and retro at the same time. No song sounds derivative.
The uptempo “Wrong Side of 25” kicks the record off – and I do mean KICKS it off. It’s catchy and it kicks ass. “She’s a Keeper” is pure radio-friendly pop with a melody you’ll find yourself humming along to. If you like Dave Edmund’s cover of the Graham Parker song “Crawling From the Wreckage” then you’ll love “Crawling From the Wreckage of a Saturday Night”. If the Edmunds-esque guitars don’t get your blood pumping then you need to see a heart specialist – STAT. Later in the album, the Connection cover the classic “7 Nights to Rock”. And they KILL it.
“Susan” has a nice country twang to it and “Girls In This Town” has Rolling Stones fingerprints all over it. You can hear the Beach Boys in several tracks here as well. Let It Rock is evidence that a great number of influences can mesh into a fantastic, fresh new sound. This is balls to the wall rock n roll.
Even The Ramones influence can be heard in the incredibly catchy “I Think She’s Dizzy” (or is it “I Think She Digs Me”?) a later song on the album not listed on the back cover track list.
The Connection’s Let It Rock is highly recommended.
And if that isn’t enough, The Connection has just released a holiday “record”. If you’re a frequent reader or visit here around the holidays, then you know we love Christmas records here. If you like jangly guitars with your eggnog, check out The Connection’s contribution to the holiday spirit courtesy of Geoff Palmer.
Thanks for the great review, and especially for the Xmas song link.
I got Let It Rock when it came out and as another reviewer said, nobody does RnR better today than The Connection.
That said, a couple minor points. I have the feeling that the reviewer dug into The Connection’s catalogue while listening to Let it Rock. Both “7 Nights to Rock” and :I Think She Digs Me” were on a previous release called The Connection Collection, Vol. 1.
BTW, both songs also were in heavy rotation at Little Steven’s Underground Garage, and “7 Nights” was a Coolest Song in the World. And as long as I’m at it, I should mention that Steve Van Zandt named Let It Rock album of the month after making two tracks from it, “Crawling” and “Girls in This Town” Coolest Songs in the World.