Charm City Devils Let’s Rock-N-Roll
by Deb Rao
Staff Writer
In the ever-changing music industry, it is nice to know that sometimes Rock and Roll dreams really do come true. Rock and Roll is derived from the blues. The heart wrenching “love gone bad” lyrics and catchy guitar riffs have long been descended from the early days of the Rolling Stones to the bluesy vocals of Steven Tyler and Aerosmith.
One band that has caught the attention of NIKKI SIXX, President of Eleven Seven Music, is Baltimore’s Charm City Devils. Hot off the heels of performing at Rock On The Range, and gearing up for Crue fest 2, the Charm City Devils prove with hard work and an attitude that won’t take no for an answer Rock and Roll fairytale ending really can come true.
In 2008, Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx was name President of Eleven Seven Music. Nikki has a great ear and eye for talent and recently signed to Eleven Seven Music the Charm City Devils. Baltimore has a great working class hard rock scene. Fronted by founding member singer and songwriter John Allen, the Charm City Devils are soon on their way to becoming a household name.
On May 26, their debut album for Eleven Seven Music was released entitled Lets Rock – N – Roll. Charm City Devils have a sound that is reminiscent of AC/DC meets Aerosmith. Raw and exhilarating, Let’s Rock – N – Roll captures the excitement of early Motley Crue with Bon Scott like vocals infused with hook laden riffs that have a punk edge that are riveting and refreshing. From the title opening track “Let’s Rock – N – Roll” to the heart-warming ballad of “Best Of The Worst”, the Charm City Devils deliver a power packed punch of songs that have a bluesy twist with razor sharp vocals and hard driving guitar riffs that cut like a knife.
Opening track “Let’s Rock – N – Roll” sets the bluesy in your face rock and roll hard rock sound that is ever so prevalent on this album. The gutsy, blues infused vocals and hard driving riffs unleash a powerful frenzy from the get-go.
What is so inspiring about this album is that there are no filler tracks. One of the most hauntingly beautiful songs on Let’s Rock – N – Roll is the ballad “Best Of The Worst”. John Allen sings his heart out on this song and showcases the powerful range of his bluesy vocals.
Another stand out track is the thunderous “True Love” (Hell Yeah).” As most of you read in John’s interview, he used to be a drummer. This song features John using his powerful voice as his weapon with a ferocious drumbeat that is spellbinding.
One of the most moving songs is the sensitively poignant, “Almost Home” a song that John wrote for his mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Also, the Armed Forces are paid tribute to on “Pour Me Another Drink.”
Let’s Rock – N – Roll is destined to become the anthem for rockers attending Crue Fest 2 this summer. Recorded in John’s studio, this album has a raw, bluesy vibe that unleashes pure energy in true rock and roll fashion. As the summer of music gets ready to kick off, it is nice to know that Rock and Roll is still alive and well with bands like Charm City Devils making a powerful impact on the music scene today.
Singer John Allen comments, “I hope people pick up a copy and check out the video. We are real proud of how the video turned out and how the record turned out. I hope to see ya all on the road with Crue Fest starting in July and will run all the way up to the beginning of September. The video for ‘Let’s Rock – N – Roll’ was done here in Baltimore. We wanted to capture the vibe of the town. We shot a lot of it basically within a mile of where I grew up. There are a lot of heavy industries in Baltimore. So a lot of it was shot around there with sections of East Baltimore called Highland Town where my parents had grown up. We actually shot some footage inside an old department store. It used to be a shopping district. It would be a perfect rock club actually. It came about so fast that we wanted to do it in a club. We shot it actually on St. Patrick’s Day last year. Everything was booked up. It was out together so quickly. We did it within a week.”
Label: Eleven Seven Music
Track Listing for Let’s Rock – N – Roll
l. Let’s Rock-N-Roll (Endless Road)
2. House Fire
3. 10,000 Miles
4. Best of the Worst
5. True Love (Hell Yeah)
6. Money
7. One Day
8. Almost Home
9. Night Is Dark
10. Pour Me Another Drink
11. Burn Baby Burn
HRH Rating: 8.5/10