CD – THE DOMNICKS – Super Real

Label:  Citadel
Date: 22 September 2012
By Shane Pinnegar
10/10

The Domnicks boast an impressive pedigree:  Dom Mariani (The DM3, The Someloves, The Stems) brings his jangle pop and 60’s garage guitar riffing, fellow Nick Sheppard (The Cortinas, The Clash) has one foot in punk attitude and one in the glorious simplicity of early soul, r&b and rock and roll, Howard Shawcross (The Elks, The Jackals, Dave Warner’s From The Suburbs) boasts forty years thumbing his four-string, and drummer Marz Frisina (The Chevelles, The New Egyptian Kings, The Calhoons) is a veteran of a myriad of surf-punk and indie-rock outfits.

With such rich pegigrees, Super Real ends up being quite the homage to rock and roll’s early days – there’s a glorious simplicity in the songwriting and performances that you rarely hear nowadays.

With about two thirds of the vocals by Sheppard, most of the rest are taken by Mariani (usually on the songs they individually brought to the table), and Shawcross gets to pitch in a heavy hitter with the famous Bobby Bland tune I Wouldn’t Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me).

Opener and first single (as part of a double A side vinyl single) Cool Runnings is summery pop n’ roll par excellence – it’s melodies burrowing deep, and quickly, while a potted history of rock n’ roll plays out in the lyrics – Doodle-Langs abound from the backing singers (Courtesy of Monica Guerrini) and even Jamaican dancehall MC Dr Alimantado’s The Best Dressed Chicken In Town gets a mention.

Reconcile is Mariani at his garagey best evoking the spirit of early Faces or Stones, and Sheppard’s gruff take on Robert Parker’s Let’s Go Baby (Where The Action Is) is channelled directly from early club-era The High Numbers (The Who’s original name) in all their R&B glory.

I Wonder What You’re Doin’ Now is another of Mariani’s instantly accessible guitar-pop classics and was recently found sharing the Cool Runnings Double-A side vinyl single.

Colour Me Gone is another Stonesy rocker with a raw, garagey soul feel.  Through this lament Sheppard pours his heart out at the same time as putting his foot down.  Another fine example of what Keef Richards calls “the ancient art of weaving” as Mariani and Sheppard’s fiery guitars snake around each other.

I Don’t Wanna Live Like That starts with a grungey Spoonful-like riff, and Winter throws down some laid back and twangy sitar. The boogie chug and jammy feel of the title track belies another simple yet catchy hook, and Beautiful Black Eyed Girl is funky R&B soul full of Stax horns of the kind they simply don’t make any more.

Sheppard’s Too Late turns the rock n’ soul up to ten a la The Small Faces or Humble Pie, whilst Mariani flexes his muscles with some Hendrix styled lead guitar.  The Shawcross-sung I Wouldn’t Treat A Dog is full of early 70’s soulful Stonesy swagger, before Miracle closes things out in high-powered Faces/Stones style.

Super Real is an album which beats with the heart and soul of rock n’ roll, and the sheer love of early Faces, Stones, Small Faces, Humble Pie, strutting soul & grooving r&b sides and, quite simply, great music.  Super Real is the music lovers feel good hit of the year.

Category: CD Reviews