by Derric Miller
— Managing Editor —
Back in the ’80s, when Hair, Sleaze, and Glam Rock were ruling the airwaves and owning MTV, Little Caesar came out of left field with a sound that was bluesy like Skynyrd but way more “street,” as melodic as all the Hair Bands but with an organic authenticity that couldn’t be faked. Sure, The Black Crowes are known for their cover of “Hard to Handle” but Little Caesar used that same formula to show the world their wares by covering “Chain of Fools” on their self-titled 1990 release. That album featured incredible musicianship, songwriting and vocals on songs like “In Your Arms,” “I Wish It Would Rain” and “Little Queenie,” to name a few. They found success but … they should have been bigger. With their new studio album Eight, it shows they still have it all …
If “21 Again” isn’t a shout out to their beginning, it should be. With razor riffing, and Ron Young’s macho yet melodic and gritty vocals (he hasn’t lost an iota of talent), it’s a huge celebration of where they come from and guess what … they are still here. Kick ass anthem to start Eight.
Not surprisingly, they have a cover on the release, and it’s Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried.” If you thought “Chain of Fools” was a shockingly good cover, hold on to your Wild Turkey because this one somehow supersedes it. The racing chorus, the boot-stomping blues groove of the entire song … it’s brave to take on something this classic. But then God hates a coward, doesn’t He?
If you can knock any part of the album, is that most it runs along the same pace. The next three tracks, “Vegas,” “Crushed Velvet” and “Good Times” all follow the same formula. That’s not saying it’s not a good formula–AC/DC made a career of it–but a change of pace from a band that can do anything wouldn’t hurt.
The first slower song is “Time Enough for That.” This poignant, haunting composition has an honesty to it, and although it’s still Hard Rock, it may bring a tear to your eye even though you had your tear ducts removed like all g-damn men do …
“Another Fine Mess” is the sound they are known for. There’s such a clean dirtiness to their sound you have to hear it to really understand what that means. People really need to pay attention to Young’s vocal prowess–the dude can SANG. This one has a backing choir, some expertly played blues riffs and leads from guitarists Loren Molinare and Mark Tremalgia, and some old school ’60s sounding keys. It’s the gospel … everyone is a fine mess.
“Morning” has the best chorus on the release. It’s a mid-tempo track, and when you hear, “I can’t wait for the morning, when the ocean washes everything clean,” you’ll feel uplifted, like each day can be a new day and even if it isn’t a good one … you get to start each day anew. It may also be the best song on Eight.
While Little Caesar may have fallen off some people’s radar over the years, they shouldn’t have. With a little more diversity in songwriting on the album, Eight could have gone from damn good to great. That doesn’t matter, though, in the end. They are still making the kind of music we all need to hear, and that’s good enough for now …
Genre: Hard Rock
Band:
Ron Young – Vocals
Loren Molinare – Guitar, Vocals
Pharoah Barrett- Bass, Vocals
Tom Morris – Drums
Mark Tremalgia- Guitar, Vocals
Tracklisting:
21 Again
Mama Tried
Vegas
Crushed Velvet
Good Times
Time Enough for That
Straight Shooter
Another Fine Mess
Morning
That’s Alright
Label: Golden Robot Records
Online:
https://www.facebook.com/LittleCaesarOfficial
https://www.littlecaesar.net/
https://twitter.com/LtlCaesarBand
Hardrock Haven rating: 
(7.8 / 10)
