Babylon Shakes 'Exiles in the Velveteen Lounge Vol 1' - Album Review
The best way to describe Babylon Shakes is to imagine the bluesy rhythms of early Aerosmith mixed with the sleazy gutter sounds of early Faster Pussycat. Lead singer Chris Clark has the the back alley cool vocals of a young Tamie Downe, down to a tee.
The rhythm section of Gary Jordan and “Morty” Jeff Mortimer keep the groove and swing right in the pocket throughout . There are definite moments on “Exiles in the Velveteen Lounge Vol 1” where you can imagine a few of these tracks falling straight off the debut album from Faster Pussycat, with both groove and lyrical delivery (and that is a good thing).
“Sunset Striptease” kicks things off with a sleazy little rocker. Tequila and strippers if that isn’t rock n roll, then what is? Let’s go with stripper-blues rock n roll, full-on swagger that sets the mood for the rest of the EP
“Silver Tongue Devil” Take note (Tamie) these are the type of songs Pussycat should’ve been recording for last 25 years or so.
“Velveteen Libertine” my first introduction to Babylon Shakes was via the bands video for this song. Instantly falling in love the throwback sound and just all out cool as hell song. The band wears it’s influences on it’s sleeve here. Think back to the 70’s when the Stones and Aerosmith wrote great tunes and mix in more than a touch of 80’s sunset strip and you get the idea.
“Die Pretty” she don’t want to die, If she can’t die pretty. ahh Hollywood where dreams go to die. Catchy as all hell, with a chorus that will be stuck in your head for days.
“Motel Lights” Chris Clark and his band of gypsies keep the good times rolling with “Motel Lights” almost breaking into a Blackie Lawless “Blind in Texas” type spiel towards the end.
Dripping with attitude and ambition, Babylon Shakes’ “Exiles in the Velveteen Lounge Vol 1” puts the fun back in rock n roll.
Bands Bio: Lead vocalist and guitarist Chris Clark is no stranger to sleaze rock. As the songwriter and frontman for bands like Smashed Alley and Last Call Messiahs, he delivers catchy, dirty rock n roll songs with a distinct Hollywood rasp. Babylon Shakes rhythm section includes veteran musicians Gary Jordan and “Morty” Jeff Mortimer. Each with over 30 years of experience touring, recording, and performing live. Make no mistake despite the extensive experience, they haven’t slowed down one bit since they began playing music at an early age. They each still play with a chip on their shoulder with much still to prove, feeling energetic and ready to Rock! These two have rocked the stage together countless times with bands such as Kage, Bought by Blood, and most recently Last Night’s Villain. Their dedication to their musicianship and stage show is as entertaining as it is musically euphoric to the audience.
‘Exile To The Velveteen Lounge Vol 1’ will be available on April 20th, and can be pre-ordered HERE
Check out the band on Facebook Here
