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LITTLE CAESAR
Eight

Golden Robot (2018)
Rating: 8/10

I haven’t listened to a Little Caesar album for quite some time, so when this latest release from the Los Angeles-based rockers appeared in my inbox I just had to check it out. I remember buying the band’s first three records – Name Your Poison EP (1989), Little Caesar (1990) and Influence (1992) – during what seems a lifetime ago, but good releases they were.

However, like so many bands that ended up on the Geffen roster, Little Caesar seemed to suffer as the grunge invasion took over. This Time It’s Different, a compilation of demos, previously unreleased songs and live tracks, arrived in 1998, but it wasn’t until 2009 that another studio album would emerge with Redemption, followed by 2012’s American Dream. Since then it appears as if there’s been some stability in the ranks and Eight, produced by Bruce Witkin, is testament to that.

What we get here are 12 tracks (including two bonus tunes), with ‘Time Enough For That’ being chosen as the lead-off single. The song is a reflective, soulful plodder symbolic of Little Caesar’s almost no frills, yet ballsy rock ‘n’ roll quality, with those rich, bluesy vocal strains of Ron Young and those aching guitar chords bringing back the halcyon days of soulful 70s rock, circa Humble Pie and Bad Company.

I dunno, maybe Little Caesar always lacked that sparkle to make it big during an era when so many bands were fighting to survive, but there’s never been any denying the talents of the combo, even with newer members recruited in the form of guitarist Mark Tremalgia and bassist Pharoah Barrett.

Album opener ‘21 Again’ is a fizzing rocker featuring killer, swaggering riffs that span several decades, while Tom Morris’ drums are a steady backbone in this powerful stomper.

‘Mama Tried’ follows; a racy boogie rocker that is celebratory in its manner as Loren Molinare’s guitar grooves with niftiness alongside that clunky bass. It’s classic rock ‘n’ roll, but for me it pales in comparison to the true rockers on the opus, namely ‘Vegas’ with its cool sway and sleazy edge hinting at ZZ Top, ‘Crushed Velvet’ with a Rolling Stones-esque soulful boastfulness where Young comes to the fore with his vocal prowess, and ‘Straight Shooter’ which lives up to its title as a hard groover with a killer, infectious lick.

There’s subtlety too on the record. The slower, bluesy, smokier ‘Mixed Signs’ is a steady nodder, but it’s the wistful sway of ‘Morning’ which stands out the most; a cool, crooning episode with a delightfully catchy chorus.

But whether it’s the stripped down bluster of ‘Another Fine Mess’ with its Faces’ style drunken groove, or the nifty, Enuff Z’Nuff-meets-Aerosmith styled ‘That’s Alright’, Little Caesar showcase a diversity and an eye for melody built upon a blues-infused foundation. The ingredients on Eight are proof that the basics are all that’s needed to construct a joyous, melodious romp, summed up with the soiled riffage of ‘Good Times’. And that’s what we’re here for.

Neil Arnold

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