Album Review: Sonic Boom - "Everybody Rains On My Parade"

 

Formed by ex-Dogs D'Amour guitarist Jo Dog and former L.A. Guns frontman Paul Black, Sonic Boom put out one sadly underappreciated album in 2000, Sundown Yellow Moon, and it's good to see them back with a much-delayed follow-up here in 2022. While the group's first album was a straight up slice of blues rock powered along by Jo's dextrous guitar work and Black's world-weary vocals, on this follow-up there's definitely signs of new ground being broken.

Opening track Another Tree For Shade has an almost Humble Pie era Steve Marriott style feel to it with the soaring chorus and chirping organ plus the lengthy blissed outro underpinning the song and gets this one off to a strong start. Up For The Late Show sounds like a speeded up version of Jo's old band's classic Sometimes and keeps the momentum rolling while Blue Like The Morning is a lovely longing slice of Gram Parsons style country sorrow before former single You're Home picks up the tempo again with an almost rockabilly feel to it.

High Price To Lead A Low Life starts out as a gentle slow-paced lament before picking up the tempo for the closing minute or so to build up to being a proper epic. I know this probably sounds like a weird comparison but it reminds me a bit of a rocked up version of Pulp's under-rated later day classic Sunrise. And that's a good thing just in case you were in any doubt. Dead In The Water has a Stonesy sort of strut to it before the title track and former single dips a toe into '60s psychedelia - again, there's a Steve Marriott influence here but this is more Small Faces than Humble Pie. Sugar Mama sees the group's '50s influences rising to the fore again with an almost doo-wop feel to the song before the Mink Deville style lounge lizard blues of Mi Vida Loca, the almost gospel style of Jesus Drives A Schoolbus and the gentle acoustic-led With Regards From Hell to round the album off.

I have to admit, I was really impressed by this album - I mean, I know Jo and Paul are both guys with a pretty solid musical pedigree but both of them have really outdone themselves here. Everybody Rains On My Parade is an album chock full of great tunes and hooks that'll stick in your head for days as well as keeping things enjoyably varied by trying an impressive variety of styles and carrying them all off well. You should definitely take them time out to investigate this one.

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NITE SONGS RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 (9/10)

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