CD REVIEW: Chris Gibbs – Big Appetite

Shane | 26 March 2014 | Reply

CD REVIEW: Chris Gibbs – Big Appetite
Noise-A-Thon Records
30 March 2014
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8/10

Local guitar slinging singer Chris Gibbs continues his prolific recent run with his third album in as many years, and it’s a mostly acoustic hard rocker that continues to set the bar high.

The man’s love of KISS shines through in a few places, notably the title track’s witty wordplay, and Said The Spider To The Fly’s Gene Simmons-by-numbers rocker. They’re both the sort of thing that a lesser talent would make a ham’s fist of, but Gibbs is a pro and turns them both into album highlights, sliding an excellent and unexpected sax solo into the former, and a blistering guitar solo into the latter.

It’s not all reflective of the face-painted monster rockers (though ironically the very different Take On The World would have nestled in comfortably on their none-less-KISS album, Carnival Of Souls), but all ten songs are intelligent and mature melodic rock n’ roll that tries to be nothing but itself.

One of the very few musicians who can legitimately claim to make a full time living out of his music, Gibbs’ command of his instrument, and ability to craft a thoroughly enjoyable tune, means he simply doesn’t have the ability to release anything that is less than top quality.

Separate Ways and Lover’s Last Embrace are the sort of acoustic based near-ballads that made his debut solo album, Little Empires, so enjoyable, then you have the clever wordplay of the title track and Wrong Side Of The Tracks (which shows great interplay between Gibbs’ softly picked acoustic guitar and Joe Southwell’s bubbling bass line), and the simple yet masterful storytelling of boxer’s tale Don’t Count Him Out and Room For Everyone, which also features another groovy sax solo from Dan Hart.

There’s nothing raucous or even terribly ‘rock’ about Big Appetite: it’s simply a consummate songwriter and performer laying down ten tracks from the heart with little regard for the radio, the charts, or indeed anyone except his muse and his fans. As such, it’s a winner.
Catch Chris Gibbs’ BIG APPETITE CD launch this Sunday 30 March 2014 at The Indi Bar, with China Doll, Why Georgia? and Amy Sugars

https://www.facebook.com/events/294401544018045

www.noiseathonrecords.com