Musicians:
Mickey Curry – Drums
Tommy Mandel – Loops, Keyboards
John Conte – Bass
Rich Pagano – Bongos
Steve Holley – Percussion
James Mastro – Six-String Fuzz Bass
Doug Petty – Organ
Andy York – Guitar, Electric Piano, Groovebox,
Background Vocals
Ian Hunter – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Rick Tedesco, Robbie Alter, Jesse Patterson,
Lisa Ronson, Willie Nile, Ian Hunter –
Gang Vocal
Tracks Listing:
1. Still Love Rock And Roll
2. Wash Us Away
3. Death Of A Nation
4. Morons
5. Purgatory
6. American Spy
7. Dead Man Walkin’
8. Good Samaritan
9. Soap ‘N’ Water
10. Ripoff
11. Knees Of My Heart
12. No One
It’s always a happy thing
when one of your favorite artists returns
from a lengthy absence. (Ian Hunter’s
last album was the slightly patchy “Artful
Dodger” in 1996) What’s even happier in
when he comes storming back with the sort
of record that makes you realize why you
held him in such high esteem in the first
place. “Rant” is such an album.
It’s a triumphant return for Hunter, full
of irresistibly catchy tunes and storming
pop - rock.
When Mott the Hoople released their first
album in 1969 (with a youthful Ian Hunter
as chief song writer, singer and piano
player) their songs were all about girls,
love, and living on the streets. There’s
no big change here except the songs are
indebted to thirty odd years experience
of the highs and lows of life. Opening
song “Still Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”, says
it all really, Hunters sings about his
love for his profession, backed by a rock
steady dance beat, barrel house piano,
and some simply superb lead guitar from
Andy York (borrowed from John Couger Mellencamp’s
band) This song Mott is sure will soon
become the anthem for any “Tahitian Queen”
Friday Happy Hour. But the quality of
songs doesn’t drop off after this, every
one’s a gem, and with much more of a cutting
edge than recent outings, both lyrically
and musically. Hunter has surrounded himself
with some of his best mates, who fortunately
are all extremely talented musicians.
Long time cohort Tommy (Moondog) Mandel
should get a special mention for his atmospheric
keyboards on the wonderful “Death of a
Nation”.
“Morons” with its Mott the Hoople “Marrionette”
era sound is an undisguised swipe at the
despised management of the record industry,
“Morons don’t matter at all. No education,
No information. Morons, are ugly and small.
They lower the tone. Get rid of them all”.
On the other side of the coin is Hunters
Rant to his wife of thirty years, the
beautiful Trudi, “Knees Of My Heart” a
realistic look backwards at what makes
a good marriage work.
“Ripoff” is a well deserved uncontrolled
rage against the hypocrisy of the British
Government, and Hunters well stated reasons
for moving to live in America.
The crisp production by Andy York and
Ian Hunter himself still allows, the beat
to take you seamlessly from one song to
the next, and what with a marvelous packaging
job by Hunters new America record label
“Fuel 2000” what more could you possibly
want.
Ian Hunter maybe in his sixties now, but
his heart still pumps Rock ‘n’ Roll.
These songs are going to kill live, the
driving building riff of songs like “Good
Samaritan” are just going to be monsters
once Hunter gets them on the stage. If
you only buy one rock album in 2001, make
sure it’s “Rant” by “Ian Hunter”.
