Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
There is never the possibility of taming the Wild One, the person that leaves you breathless with anticipation, that leads you down paths you know you shouldn’t venture but you know in your heart it will be the best of times that you have, that the Wild One will enthuse your lust for life as well as sing you songs in which you will remember till you finally discard the leather jacket and bid a regretful farewell to the vehicle that served you well.
It is a vehicle though, the motorbike of life, that never truly goes away, you might find the sound of a cruising engine, one that was distinctive by its heyday cult resonance and one that easily rubbed shoulders and tyre with the best of them, somehow never left you, that it was just out of sight all along and in the corner of a forgotten garage, the engine starts revving once more, the sound unmistakable, definite, instantly purring with majesty and purity; this is the figure of the Rebel that never went away and always had a cause to live up to.
It is a former R&B Rebel that the engine calls out for, the cult figure of Bill Mead and his Rock and Blues led band The Sharpeez, individually superb, collectively brilliant, this sight on the music freeway and country driven roads is akin to seeing the highway full of the much loved bikes, the leader of the pack and the engine smoke jousting with the air as it swirls and kicks back and against the naysayers and doom mongers who suggest that you can never recapture what is gone.
With William Mead at the helm of The Sharpeez, and with Loz Netto on slide guitar, Baz Payne on bass, Brendan O’Neil on drums and Teresa Revill on backing vocals, the songs live firmly up to the Wild One description and passion. Tracks such as Dr. Feelgood, Stilletto Heels, written with former band mate Pete Goodey, Heartache Express, Losing Hands and the superb Heat of the Night, exemplify the passion felt in the hands of natural flair and ferocious talent on offer and it is one is disciplined, cultivated but never, ever thankfully tamed.
A terrifically produced album, the former Rebel is again a leader of the pack!
The Sharpeez release Wild One on May 18th.
Ian D. Hall