Rhett
May - Creatures of the Night
The
latest release from Australian based singer/songwriter Rhett May, Creatures of
the Night, is a thirteen song collection solidifying his standing as one of the
indie scene’s best musical artists. It’s the next bracing step in a thrilling
musical journey spanning forty plus years, two continents, and brushes with
iconic artists. May brings many of his formative influences to bear on the
album’s songwriting but, despite his age, the tracks on Creatures of the Night
bristle with modernity and an adult point of view full of vigor and imagination
more commonly associated with much younger artists. The production snaps with
the top flight fidelity we associate with major label acts and there’s a sharp
balance achieved between the instruments that makes the thirteen songs sound
like an unified, coherent listening experience. Creatures of the Night is an
entertaining and highly intelligent reminder of what a quality songwriter and
musician can accomplish.
The
opener is such an important number from any musician or band. “Somebody’s
Watching You” brings newcomers into the burning heart of May’s creative with
its combination of rugged rock and roll guitars, scintillating lead work, and
surprising amount of melodic value. May isn’t just a superb songwriter and musician
– the song’s lyrical content is quite good and May’s observational powers shine
through. The title song, “Creatures of the Night”, is one of the vivid
experiments on the album and wholly successful. May’s arrangement for the song
has a surprising amount of delicacy while still ably managing to conjure reams
of atmosphere. “Latex Lady” is one of the stellar tracks that make Creatures of
the Night really fly. The same quasi orchestrated approach May takes on the
album’s most successful rock tracks hits a peak with this number and the adult
subject matter of the songwriting never hits a prurient note. “Sandy Sweet As Candy” is a hard rocking
number with gutsy and tough-minded guitar work – the lead guitar playing is
rather fiery.
“Space
Between Breaths” is another meditative, moody track tailored to a similar
length as the other tracks. May’s focus throughout the release is one of the
great strengths of the album and few tracks better embody that strength than
the title song and this track. It takes a substantial amount of talent to bring
these disparate elements together in a track with a definite shape and thrust.
“Elixir of the Gods” is the lengthiest song on the album and shows off May’s
wont for challenging listener’s preconceptions. Some of his eastern musical
influences come through here and the exotic feel adds much to the song, but
what makes it work in the end is how May combines those twists with solid
fundamentals. “Lexxi Mccoy” and “Bella My Baby” are two more solid shots of
pure rock and roll that are entertaining, but there’s equal parts intelligence
and artistry driving these tracks. May surprises us a final time with the
album’s closer. “When We Make Love” is a stab in the direction of classy jazz
and doesn’t sound out of place at all with the album’s numerous rock
performances. Creatures of the Night will appeal to a wide swath of fans and
those introduced to its charms will bring him countless new fans.
9 out of 10 stars
TWITTER: https://www.facebook.com/rhettmay.soloartist?fref=ts
Montey
Zike
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