by Alexandra Mrozowska
– Sr. Columnist —
Doogie White is one of those names the vast majority of rock listeners recognize immediately, be it his participation on the 1995 Rainbow album Stranger In Us All or such bands as Cornerstone, Tucker/Evans’ incarnation of Tank or Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock. However, years before all those projects took place (and more than a decade before joining forces with Ritchie Blackmore) the Scottish songster became a founding member of the hard rock five-piece La Paz alongside Chic McSherry and Alex Carmichael. Having called it quits in 1988, the group reunited more than two decades later. Their post-hiatus activity, from 2009 upwards, brought three albums released under the auspices of Metal Mind Productions – Granite (2012), The Dark And The Light (2013) and, most recently, Shut Up And Rawk.
First seconds into the latter, the listener should feel entirely convinced about the title’s validity. The intensity of the opening drum roll morphs into the powerful, melodic riff of the first track “Light The Fire” – a testimony to some serious rocking or “rawking”, being proceeded here indeed. Further into the album, the instrumental forces of La Paz alongside their frontman seem to be consequent in their straightforwardness. The sheer power of songs such as “Heart Of Stone”, “No Place In Heaven” or “Throw Me To The Wolves” simply speaks for itself. The dynamic, modern guitars set the tempo whereas rich and varied Hammond embellishments – far from being just occasional embroidery to the tracks – add a bit of the ’70s, vintage vibe to the sound of La Paz.
The Hammonds and guitars are indeed the essence of the album, from the organ outro to “A Certain Song” or progressive passages in otherwise bluesy “Faith Hope And Love” to the gritty, six-string-driven groove of “Retribution Blues” and “Daughter Of Time”. Their 1970s hard rock influences dominant, La Paz introduces also different flavors to their current sound – as in “Little Miss Dynamite”, a shameless manifestation of their fascination with genres collectively recognized as Americana. The lengthy intros to “The Prize” and the final ballad-ish track “Book Of Shadows” have almost cinematic dimension to them, heavily contrasted with the overall pace and intensity of the album.
Shut Up And Rawk is an impressive album from the seasoned unit of musicians still able to combine their classic influences and modern approach to music recording into one. It’s a collection of songs of predictably high quality, each of them crafted to fit the wide range of tastes – from aficionados of vintage Uriah Heep-esque aesthetics to contemporary Melodic Hard Rock fans. If you belong to either of those groups, be sure to check it out.
Genre: Hard Rock
Band:
Doogie White – vocal
Chic McSherry – guitar
Alex Carmichael – bass
Andy Mason – keyboards
Paul McManus – drums
Tracklist:
1. Light The Fire
2. Heart Of Stone
3. No Place In Heaven
4. The Revenge Of El Guapo
5. A Certain Song
6. Retribution Blues
7. Daughter Of Time
8. The Prize
9. Faith Hope And Love
10. Throw Me To The Wolves
11. Little Miss Dynamite
12. Book Of Shadows
Label: Metal Mind Productions
Website: http://www.lapazrocks.com/ – www.facebook.com/LaPaz.rocks
Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10
