Soraia “Dig Your Roots”

It may be questionable how important a label is to a band in the modern music industry. But it’s got to help when you’ve got the backing of someone as cool as Steven Van Zandt. That’s the case with the Philadelphia rock quartet Soraia who are on his Wicked Cool Records label.

The opening burst of “Dangerous” actually reminds us of “Anarchy In The UK” but it’s a far more polished rock song than that, It’s melodic but still punchy. The same could be said about other tracks like “Evergreen” and “Darkness (Is My only Candle)”. In fact, it’s surprisingly refreshing to hear a band deliver some good old hard rock tracks. A song like “Superman Is Gone” is just built for playing loud in a car.

For those who remember the Rock City in the early nineties, when the dance floor was full of people shaking their long hair, then tracks like “Wild Woman” and “Way That You Want It” will leave you in heaven. They do throw in a few curve balls like “Foxfire” that has a sultrier and almost psychedelic style. Whilst “Still I Rise” adds an even more psychedelic feel and even has the alt rock style that reminds us of the brilliant Love/Hate (but with an extra shot of power pop). There’s also a brave cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U” which reminds us all that originally it was a great Prince song.

For some reason it seems wrong to just describe this as a great rock album. We don’t know why though because that’s exactly what it is. Will it change the world? Probably not. But if you want to shake off your winter blues with a beer and a blast of music then this is a record you definitely need to check out.