Snakecharmer by Snakecharmer (Frontiers 2013)
Moody and Wisefield supergroup to the rescue
Snakecharmer Tracklist
1. My Angel
2. Accident Prone
3. To the Rescue
4. Falling Leaves
5. A Little Rock & Roll
6. Turn of the Screw
7. Smoking Gun
8. Stand Up
9. Guilty As Charged
10. Nothing to Lose
11. Cover Me in You
12. White Boy Blues
Snakecharmer Lineup
Chris Ousey: Lead vocals
Micky Moody: Guitar, slide guitar, vocals
Laurie Wisefield: Guitar, vocals
Adam Wakeman: Keyboards, vocals
Neil Murray: Bass
Harry James: Drums, vocals
In a recent interview for Classic Rock magazine, Micky Moody and Laurie Wisefield said Snakecharmer was formed to play classic Whitesnake songs live, but that they would like to add a couple of new songs to the set. Slide-guitar specialist Moody was an original member of David Coverdale's solo band, which became Whitesnake, and departed soon after the Slide it In album of 1983. He was also a member of Juicy Lucy, Snafu, Moody Marsden and Young & Moody, before forming a series of bands specifically to perform Whitesnake material, much of which he had co-written: The Snakes, Company of Snakes, M3 and Monsters of Rock. The latter consisted of Moody, Wisefield, lead singer Chris Ousey, former 'Snake Neil Murray on bass and Harry James from Thunder on drums, but they became Snakecharmer after recruiting Adam Wakeman on keyboards. Laurie Wisefield was guitarist and singer with innovatory rock band, Home, and joined Wishbone Ash for There's the Rub in 1974. After leaving Ash, following the Raw to the Bone album in 1985, he worked regularly for Tina Turner's touring band and has been a member of the musical cast of the Queen musical, We Will Rock You, since it began in 2002.
The first track on the album has impact, but the repetitive phrase, 'You're my h-angel,' becomes irritating after a few listens. Nevertheless, the twin guitars of Moody and Wisefield are hard to fault, while Murray and James are their usual reliable selves. On Accident Prone, lead singer Chris Ousey's stylings are like a smooth David Coverdale or Paul Rodgers; Adam Wakeman's playing is along the lines of a restrained Jon Lord, especially during the latter's spell with Whitesnake. In the CR interview, Moody and Wisefield said Wakeman was very in-demand and that they would have to find an exceptional keyboard player to replace him, when the time came. To the Rescue is the most bluesy track so far, with the emphasis on Moody's impeccable slide and Ousey at his most Rodgers-like. It is perhaps the closest to Moody's pre-Coverdale past with the underrated Snafu; Wakeman this time sounds like Ian McLaglen during his tenure with Rod Stewart and the Faces.
Falling Leaves has a slow start, a choir on the chorus and a superb dynamic guitar solo, but it fades. What were they thinking? This is some of the best guitar playing I have heard in years . . . and they fade it out. Track 5, A Little Rock and Roll, has some of Chris Ousey's best singing and distorted/phased guitar with Wakeman in eighties-Deep Purple style. There is an effective second 'distant' voice, as favoured by electronica star Moby, but this is no dance tune. After a Status Quo intro (Moody worked with John Coghlan's Diesel and Bob Moody), Ousey's voice follows and harmonises with the guitar on Turn of the Screw, underpinned by solid work from Harry James. There is yet another excellent guitar solo, prompting the thought that they don't make them like this anymore. Adam Wakeman's keyboards open and close Smoking Gun like his father's work with Yes, albeit briefly. This would be one of my (minor) complaints about the album, that, being guitar dominated, Wakeman is a bit underused - rather like Derek Sherinian in Black Country Communion, whom Snakecharmer resemble in revitalising seventies hard rock.
Track 8, Stand Up has a riff reminiscent of Foreigner, while Chris Ousey even sounds like Lou Gramm. Variety comes in the form of the middle and end guitar solos, but it is Neil Murray's distinctive bass that stands out on this track. Like Don Airey, Murray is a true veteran of British hard rock bands, which read like a who's who, including: Cozy Powell's Hammer, Colosseum II, Whitesnake, Badlands UK, Gary Moore, Forcefield, Phenomena, Vow Wow (Japanese, but based in the UK), Black Sabbath, The Brian May Band and many others. Guilty as Charged has a Led Zeppelin riff, filtered through Rush. A Jimi Hendrix-inspired solo is followed by more slide. This is a toe-tapper, but the word 'penetrate' grates in the lyrics. Although words like 'h-angel' and 'penetrate' are jarring, the lyrics and delivery are far from being a weakness on the album.
Nothing to Lose is a boogie that tends to plod, although the dual guitars soar and scream to wonderful effect. Wakeman's piano playing technique is strong, but should have been louder in the mix. The penultimate piece, Cover Me in You, has my favourite Snakecharmer lyric, 'Cover me in your kisses, cover me in your sweet love, cover me . . . in you'! A bonus track, White Boy Blues, is included and sounds very similar to the opener, My Angel, but without the hook. If, like me, you are a fan of seventies hard rock and are saddened at the demise of Black Country Communion, Snakecharmer is for you. I would not be surprised if, instead of performing Whitesnake covers and a few originals, Moody and Wisefield find themselves playing some barnstorming Snakecharmer sets with a few Whitesnake songs for the encore!