The Bullets -“Sons Of The Gun”

The Bullets are a relatively new band, but the fact that their debut album, “Sons Of The Gun” is released on Western Star Records tells you that it is going to be one of quality. It is a label which has a great track record in delivering rockabilly bands, and with The Bullets, we have a band who are keen to bring a rawness to their sound.

The album opens with “Jump When I Want”, and it begins with an upbeat song with a traditional rockabilly sound and the added impact of some nice handclaps. There is a classic fifties sound on “Mean To My Baby”, which keeps it simple with the strumming bass carrying the song along. This sound is taken a further with “I Don’t Wanna” which has a neat line in rebellious lyrics which are, of course, so important to the whole story of rock ‘n’ roll.

When you hear the lyrics “Listen to Elvis on the radio” on the song “The Beast in Me” you know that The Bullets are not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeve. This is a great little track and the lyrics leaves you in no doubt what is needed for a good time, according to the band. It certainly sounds like an accompaniment to a raucous night! Then on “She’s So Sleazy”, we are introduced to the girl who might be willing to share that night. She is described as having “Ruby red lips and a careless stare”. The lyrics may not be too PC for this modern world, but sometimes rock n roll just isn’t meant to be! The influences continue to shine through on many of the songs, with “Desperate Man” adding a hint of country and the piano on “Do You Love Me” giving it a real Jerry Lee Lewis kind of vibe.

Amongst all the more traditional songs there are still a few treats thrown in. On “Blue Light” they add a real feel of the blue suede shoes with its stop/start guitar pattern. Then “Frantic And Wild” adds a fifties rock ‘n’ roll effect. This song could easily feature in a scene from one of The Kings Hollywood films.

The album ends with the title track, “Son Of A Gun”, and it brings a bit of a surprise. It has a trumpet opening and the whole song slows the tempo down. There is almost something of a Mexican bandit feel to it. In some ways, it might have been better to have this song earlier in the album as it would have provided a nice break amongst some of the other more straight forward rockabilly songs.

The Bullets have certainly achieved their desire to produce an album of raw rockabilly. It will certainly have a ready built audience amongst the fans of the label it appears on. The band will also have no difficulty finding rockabilly shows at which they will be able to deliver their songs to an appreciative audience. In fact, one thing The Bullets should certainly be praised for, is delivering an album full of original tracks. So often, even with long standing bands, albums of this type are littered with cover versions. Credit therefore to The Bullets for not taking the easy option.