CD REVIEW: SOUL SHINE SOCIETY – Back Where You Belong

Shane | 29 July 2015 | Reply

CD REVIEW: SOUL SHINE SOCIETY – Back Where You Belong
Grooveyard Records
2014
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8/10

From Marko Karttunen’s boogie piano and pulsating Hammond organ, to the multiple guitars (courtesy of Matt Jokelainen, Mikko Levenen and Jaan Wessman – who is also the drummer, and bassist Jukka Hollström), and the parps of bluesy harmonica and gravelly vocals of Jonne Sassi, everything about Soul Shine Society screams ‘southern rock’. Everything, that is, apart from the fact they’re Finnish!

That matters naught, though, when their groove is so strong.

Occupying the hallowed ground between Lynyrd Skynyrd’s soul-fried boogie and The Allman Brothers’ bluesy country honk, Soul Shine Society are the real deal, their songs coming from the heart and full of soul.

Break The Chain kicks off the album in classy style, the band in the pocket from the first note. Hell Train does exactly what it says on the tin: takes you on a roller coaster ride heading south. Back Where You Belong and Love Won’t Wait are, like the rest of the album, undoubtedly great live tracks when the band have a chance to stretch out and flex their muscles.

Another highlight is the earworm As I Make My Way, guaranteed to float around your head for days. The album wraps up with The Fire Within, which starts as a slow burner before the guitars take over in archetypal Skynyrd style. The soloing on this song is worth the price of admission alone.