Australian rock band Electric Mary continue the reign of full throttle rock with album number four. It's been eight long years since the aptly titled III made the rock world sit up and take notice of the Antipodean quintet. After such a tour de force with distorted guitars, ravaging basslines and a drum sound that packed the sort of punch to make Connor McGregor envious, the band had nowhere else to go but back to the beginning.
Mother represents a return to the origins of the genre offering a mix of classic blues and rock, akin to Bad Company, Free, Guess Who and even Nazareth. The arrangements may not be as fierce as before, but Mother is every bit as dynamic as its predecessor. It's perhaps even more energised because the band feel as though they've embraced the vintage tones and it's very befitting. Gimme Love is a stonker of an opener that lays the gauntlet down for the rest of the album in terms of production, tone and power. The roaring vocals and supreme shredding on Hold Onto What You Got only up the bar. When they slow things down on Sorry Baby, Rusty's melodious growl becomes a undulating purr, that marks him out as one of the best rock vocalists to come out of Australia.
Long Long Day is the heart and soul of the track. It's the moment the whole album leads up to. With soulful vocals, yearning percussion, moody guitar-work that suddenly unleashes an Electric Mary sound that encompasses the echoes of the past, and the turbulence of modernity. This uncaged beast is fully realised on Woman, the album's short and sweet desert, that will leave you feeling fully rocked out and very satisfied.
With only eight tracks it may seem that this is more of a souped up EP rather than longer player, don't let that fool you. Mother is a clear cut case of less is more. Quality not quantity: it's the Electric Mary way.
Groupie rating 4/5
