King King: Standing In The Shadows

Standing In The Shadows

King King

''Here at Radio 2, we think Alan Nimmo and King King are going all the way...''

So said veteran BBC presenter and Blues Band icon Paul Jones, in reaction to hearing King King's debut album, Take My Hand. Great praise leads to high expectations and the proverbial problems associated with the ''difficult second album.''

So, how does Standing In The Shadows measure up to it's highly regarded predecessor?

The blues/rock genre is retained, with the first two songs setting the scene powerfully, displaying the heavier side of King King. Just when I thought the whole album may be going to continue in the same vein, the tempo shifted to ballad-mode for A Long History Of Love and the next two songs. Thereafter, there is a pleasing mix of pace, with every song backed up by the big rock sound.

Alan Nimmo - the first man I've seen wearing a kilt on the front cover of a CD since Harry Lauder -  (vocals and guitars) shares the songwriting duties with Lindsay Coulson (bass) on the majority of the songs (there are two covers: Jealousy and Heavy Load.) The line up is completed by Wayne Proctor (drums and percussion) and Bennett Holland (keys and backing vocals).

Heavy on guitar licks, the album flows well from start to finish. It's not all power chords, though; the slower songs reveal a different guitar aspect - particularly on What Am I Supposed To Do, which I feel is one of the strongest songs on the album.

The keyboards definitely add a certain something to the sound, especially on tracks such as Taken What's Mine, where they punctuate the mood and fill out the sound around the heavier guitar breaks.

Track List

More Than I Can Take
Taken What's Mine
A Long History Of Love
Jealousy
What Am I Supposed To Do
One More Time Around
Can't Keep From Trying
Coming Home (Rest Your Eyes)
Heavy Load
Let Love In

Stand out tracks:  A Long History Of Love, Jealousy, What Am I Supposed To Do.

Standing In The Shadows is an impressive CD and one which pays no respect to the mythical problems of the ''difficult second album.'' It will be released on 25 March 2013 on the Manhaton label.

Further details, including tour dates, are available on the official King King website.