Southgang
Tainted Angel

Many of you may wonder why this time I chose a party metal band (they've even been labeled as glam, but in my opinion, they don't have much glam, maybe some hints, but not much!) on par with Warrant, Danger Danger (the ones from "Screw It!") and others, especially considering their very short discography (only two albums to their name!).

Southgang is a big American band originally from Georgia, formed in 1988 under the name Byte The Bullet, and then around 1990 became Southgang, when Charisma Records (a small subsidiary of Emi) took them under their wing. The American combo was composed of Jesse Harte on vocals, Butch Walker on guitar, Jayce Fincher on bass (who greatly resembles Dana Strum from Slaughter, even in hairstyle!), and Mitch "Slug" McLee on drums. Their music, as previously mentioned, is a party metal with traits of typical American street style like L.A. Guns and the like, but also boasts very interesting blues and hard rock passages (highlighted especially in their second and remarkable album). This debut album of theirs, titled Tainted Angel from 1991, is truly excellent, not only because a certain Desmond Child is at the production console but also because the four, meanwhile relocated to Los Angeles, really knew how to compose songs that were neither too glam or street nor too hard rock like AC/DC. It's an excellent middle ground, in short.

Enough chatter, the album opens with a chorus shouting "Hey, are you ready?" and it's immediately party metal in the style of Warrant and Poison with "Boys Nite Out": chants of "hooray for beer and chicks" and lots of guitar. Perhaps it's really one of the few weak points of the album, as it is too predictable. Definitely better with "Love For Sale", in the style of Extreme from Pornograffitti. Jazz trumpets aplenty, with a very catchy and alluring rhythm section from certain perspectives, not to mention the truly excellent acoustic break halfway through the song. A blues intro opens "Georgie Lights", one of the best episodes of this album. Harte is particularly skilled, with an excellent performance behind the microphone, in addition to Walker's incisive guitar and Fincher's pulsing bass. Following this is the beautiful ballad "Love Ain't Enough", from which a video was also extracted, with a truly inspired Harte, in addition to the poignant melody created by the entire group. There are also episodes that manage to amuse the listener with a few laughs, as in the case of the western-tinged and upbeat "She's Danger City/Seven Hills Saloon", with excellent guitar and drumming phrases from McLee (not to mention the tempo change at the song's end!).

Mid-album we find "Tainted Angel", which is a more paced song, distinguished by excellent female backing vocals (which we will also see in the video extracted from this song), along with a very successful syncopated rhythm (see the drum intro) and an excellent solo by Walker. In the superb "Big City Woman", we have yet another intro from a blues school (Georgians are famous for always having a terrifying blues inspiration in their veins!), which unfolds into very sustained hard rock, resembling closely another now-defunct band, Dangerous Toys. A big riff by Walker introduces the enjoyable "Shoot Me Down": a paced song, but perhaps a bit uncoordinated with the rest of the album. The album finishes with the hard rock of "Russian Roulette", a very rocky song, featuring surprising guitar work from the excellent Walker, along with Harte's vocals, never exaggerated or forced like many street singers; the ballad "Aim For The Heart", less successful than the previous Love Ain't Enough, but still very impactful, and the instrumental "Groove Bucket", demonstrating that Butch Walker is a guitarist of high caliber!

In conclusion, I can only say that if you happen to find it cheaply (very unlikely), get it instantly (the album....), as it is certainly valuable, and the only reason I don't give it a 5 is that there are a few misses (see the opening song), but the rest is highly recommended not only to fans of street and glam but also to those who listen to rock made with true passion, unlike the kind made by Vasco or Ligabue!