Recently, Tyler Bryant dropped the "And the Shakedown" part of his name to fly solo, and it's paid immediate dividends, as he romped home in first place in our latest Tracks Of The Week contest. Even better, as a solo act, he doesn't have to share the prize money (disclaimer: there isn't any prize money) with anyone, which is nice.
Coming in second were Hollow Souls (feat. Chris Tapp), while Kula Shaker were in third place.
Below, you'll find the latest eight candidates for our contest. Please lend them your ears.
Foxy Shazam - Magic
Bursting into TOTW in a confetti blast of Queen-meets-ELO pomp, guitars, brass and star-spangled harmonies, Foxy Shazam sound absolutely regal on Magic. Seemingly riding a healthy wave after their hiatus ended in 2020 (they perform as 'The Mighty Crabjoys' in the new Superman, with mainman Eric Nally also making a cameo appearance in the movie) their gleaming pop melody and classic rock songcraft here reminds us why we fell for them back in the '00s, when they first sprung out of Cincinnati and captured the rock world's heart. It's good to have them back.
The Southern River Band - No Such Time
Cal Kramer and his merry men stir some fresh colour into their old-school shitkicker formula – think gauzy harmonies and an expansive, summery chorus that adds a touch of Stereophonics to their Rose Tattoo-via-Thin Lizzy foundation. They’re rapidly becoming one of those consistently ‘dependable’ groups, in a really good way: people you can count on for quality, catchy rock riffcakes. Like what you hear? They have a new album, Easier Said Than Done, coming out in October.
Stolen Prayer - Sleaze Machine
Rocking and rolling the hell out of their native Louisville, Kentucky since 2020, Stolen Prayer make the sort of big-haired, bandana-wristed glam racket you didn’t think existed outside the 80s (but very much does, as fans of the 21st century likes of H.E.A.T, Crazy Lixx etc etc can confirm). Sleaze Machine delivers everything you’d hope for from such a title: filthy riffs, propulsive energy, cigarettes n’ spray paint vibes galore… It’s a song you could picture throwing a beer over its own head to wake up, hurtling cross-country in a hoary old splitter, turning up completely wasted and somehow playing a blinding show to a bar full of bikers. If Mötley Crüe spent less time in LA and more time in the dodgy ends of backwater towns, they might have sounded like this.
Royal Republic - I’m So Excited
Week got off to a less-than-great start? Anxieties mounting by the minute? Put this on – right now. Back with the latest instalment from their corpse-painted counterparts The Blastbeaters, Sweden’s premier purveyors of weapons-grade floor-fillers take on The Pointer Sisters’ I’m So Excited, and it’s every bit as ridiculous and plain joyful as we’d hoped. Rock’n’roll, disco balls, saxophone and Satan in one slightly mad but immaculately assembled sandwich. And they’re clearly having the best time playing it. It might not fix everything, but chances are it’ll make everything look a little brighter.
Glenn Hughes - Into The Fade
Somehow still singing at a level that puts many of his younger peers to shame, Glenn ‘the voice that never fails’ Hughes strikes a pensive note on this brooding but gritty, forward-kicking rocker – hot off his upcoming solo album Chosen. You can hear the hours he’s put in with Black Country Communion, the blend of classic sensibilities and contemporary hard rock that keeps things comfortably non-museum piece-ish. No mean feat at 73.
Creeper - Blood Magick (It’s A Ritual)
Vampire rockers, rollicking 80s riffage and blood-spattered hedonism drive this rip-roaring latest slice of their next album, Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death. Opening with organ blasts straight out of Phantom Of The Opera, and the promise of ‘snares of the flesh, lust and temptation’, Blood Magick (It’s A Ritual) has all the right omens for a riotous, Jim Steinman-on-prozac romp, and it doesn’t disappoint. Boosted by one of their wildest videos yet, it’s a veritable carousel of sex, spiders, snakes and black leather, with William Von Gould serving as their velvet-voiced narrator – like an evil Chris Isaak getting stagecraft tips from Alice Cooper.
Halestorm - Like A Woman Can
Lzzy Hale is the sultry powerhouse behind this moody, mid-tempo ballad from Halestorm's ace new album Everest. Think Nina Simone's Feeling Good with a contemporary, heavy but still grittily soulful makeover – closing on a plaintive piano-led note for an atmospheric finish. “‘Like A Woman Can’ is Venus asking Mars to meet her in the middle," Lzzy explains, "while in the midst of a bisexual awakening.”
Kip Moore - American Heartbreak
Last week, Kip Moore announced a deluxe version of his recent Solitary Tracks album and released one of the previously unreleased songs contained therein. American Heartbeat is a classic heartland rocker in a Tom Petty vein, an anthem that gets its hooks into you so quickly you'll wonder how it escaped the original tracklist. Throw in a video that's more fun than a cross-eyed kangaroo on a trampoline, and you've got something of a summer party classic.
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