FRANK HANNON – Six String Soldiers

Shane | 5 January 2013 | Reply

Label: Redhawk Records
Released: July 2012
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7.5/10

Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon has pulled in some talented chums (not least singer Jeff Sandoval and fellow riff-writer Mike Araiza) for his latest solo album, but star appearances aside, Six String Soldiers is very much Hannon’s baby – and the journey he takes from opener I’m Alive to the penultimate track Redemption features some very personal, soul searching songs.

I’m Alive features some scorching interplay between Hannon and Pat Travers, it’s Seventies vibe feeling right at home with Hannon’s laid back and honest guitar and Sandoval’s vocal style, and The Allman Brothers’ Dickey Betts pops up on the Southern flavoured Touch The Ground, his tasteful guitar playing complementing Hannon’s own country licks on this laid back, biographical tale.

Sandoval’s vocals don’t have the gravel and insistent machismo of Tesla’s Jeff Keith, but they perfectly suit Hannon’s solo pursuits, which are a very different animal: this is a laid back cocktail – 2 shots of rock n’ roll, a pinch of Southern charm, amps up loud and follow the riff.

There’s also Rick Derringer supplying some dirty six string histrionics on To The Light, to great effect. The hard rocking twin-guitar boogie-cum-shredfest of the title track shows that Hannon can stand alongside any modern guitarist, as does the string bending anarchy of instrumental closer 12:21.

Proving his versatility, Hannon gives Eighties hard rock a nudge on Invincible and I’m Just Sayin’, and delivers a couple of sweet love letters in Cross Your Mind and Love, Life & Beauty.

The second last track, a reflective Redemption, is the true stand-out though, combining fiercely emphatic guitar work with lyrics reflecting the long road he’s been on since joining Tesla aged 19.

Six String Soldiers has a lot of the Seventies about it – in all the best possible ways. It’s a simple outpouring of music and passion and emotion that should appeal not only to fans of Hannon’s and the band which constitutes his day job, but also guitar rock fans everywhere.