MOTHER ROAD is a band born from the demise of the bands SOUL DOCTOR, out of Germany, and the U.S. group STEELHOUSE LANE. They possess a sound tightly wound in the Classic and Blues Rock genres of the seventies' era, drawing inspiration from the likes of Paul Rodgers' bands FREE and BAD COMPANY, as well as acts like early WHITESNAKE and Hughes/Coverdale era DEEP PURPLE, the "Burn" and "Stormbringer" albums, in particular. Guitarist Chris Lyne and vocalist Keith Slack wanted to create a fresh take on the classic sound, and with the help of bassist Frank Binke, drummer Zacky Tsoukas and the amazingly talented keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio, they recorded the album "Drive", which was originally released on CD in the Spring of 2014. That release, which is almost completely sold out worldwide, has now been remastered, by Lyne, and re-released by Metalapolis Records.

Diving into the record, headlong, I found quite a lot to like about MOTHER ROAD'S take on the sound I grew up on. On the opening track, called "The Sun Will Shine Again", the introduction immediately brought to mind the 1993 collaborative COVERDALE-PAGE release, with a nicely jangling acoustic from Lyne and Slack's rather husky and blues fueled vocal. When the full band kicks in, about half a minute in, you know these guys are playing for keeps. The song absolutely smokes, and is a perfect jump-off point for an album, and band, of this kind. Lyne's solo, coming about three minutes through the song, will blister the flesh.

"Feather In Your Head" could have been recorded during the WHITESNAKE "Trouble" or "Saints And Sinners" sessions. It has a very cool Blues Rock feel, and a soul all its own. Again, Lyne's guitar work is incredible, and is punctuated nicely by Alessandro Del Vecchio's Hammond organ work. Keith Slack is also a great vocalist, presenting lyrics with a "Jack Daniels rasp" that is extremely effective for this format. "Drive Me Crazy" is yet another example of his vocal prowess.

If you are a fan of seventies era rock, you are certain to love this release. Although certainly influenced by the bands I have mentioned, MOTHER ROAD isn't directly trying to steal their sound. They instead have updated it, making this a fresh sounding album of great Rock n' Roll. With their second release, "II", out now, I will be sure to keep an ear on these guys.