Phil Neal
& The Wornalls – Lonely Tonight (Independent)
Over the last 30 years Phil Neal has fronted a number
of bands, including The Artists, the Phil Neal Band, the Power Ties, and the
Rockhills, playing hundreds of gigs, and honing his talents as a songwriter,
singer, musician and performer. The Kansas City native is the epitome of a
Midwestern rocker, and with his latest band, The Wornalls, he’s in no mood to
let his reputation slip. Their debut long-player “Lonely Tonight” is a genuine
treat, the sort of record that The Jayhawks and Tom Petty brought out in their
primes - records that combine rootsy Americana rock with hook-heavy power pop.
Back in the very early ‘80s, Neal and his band The
Artists were regulars on MTV, and seemed on the verge of a major commercial
breakthrough. It would be nice to think that “Lonely Tonight” could somehow
replicate that success. Indeed, if it was just down to the quality of the song,
and their execution, Neal and has band would be on near constant rotation on grown-up
radio stations all over the western world. In reality, fans of Neal’s brand of
melodic rock and roots music will have to hunt it down, but it’s time well
spent. The album begins with a stone cold classic-to-be in “Bad Boys” – the
sort of thing Phil Seymour or Marshall Crenshaw might have released back in the
day. “In Your Car Tonight” slows things down
somewhat, without sacrificing its pop nous, and the title track is surely a big
hit in some parallel universe where good taste is still paramount.
Phil S.
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