Walkway – WWIII
Its bleedin’ criminal how a band like
Walkway can go virtually unnoticed in the UK, especially when they are as good
as they are. They opened up the HRH AOR festival back in March. I dug out a
YouTube vid a couple of days before and was blown away as to how good they
were. It turned out they were as good as I hoped they were going to be,
probably, no, definitely even better than imagined.
To emphasise how good, they were as tight
as a very tight thing at HRH towers. Why? Ill tell you why….when this album was
launched recently, Walkway performed their 1000th gig to launch this album. If
you follow them on FB, it seems like it was their 1000th gig just of
2017. If they have endorsements, a couple should be Dunlop Tyres, Kwik Fit, and
Premier Inn, as these guys are away from home more than a Jehovah’s Witness.
Walkway doesn’t take any prisoners, whether
it’s in the recording of the album (just 13 days at Sonic One Studio in Wales
and mastered at Abbey Road), or the songs themselves. Walkway is based around
the Ready brothers – Chris (guitar lead vocals) and James (lead guitar, backing
vocals), and Andy Burlace (drums and backing vocals). The subsequent output
from these guys in nothing short of memorable
I don’t have the first two albums to make
that contrast, so it’s all on this one for analysis. I definitely wouldn’t
class Walkway in the AOR bracket. They just happen to be a very good rock band
with a knack for melody and hooks. ‘Stutter’
has a big dirty riff, that’s up Nickleback’s street. Add in the chorus, and is
a good a song as Kroeger can muster up. Its stadium rock at its finest. ‘Best I
Ever Had’ again is to grab the listener by the ears and force-feed you with a
giant riff and instantly memorable chorus. If this were an established US band
like say Nickleback, then the radio play, and plaudits would be all over it.
‘Get A Grip’s’ chorus again is nothing short of ear candy. Add in James’
rolling guitar lick and its song that screams quality. Casey in particular takes
some of its lead from Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar…’ – especially the
‘Whoa’s!’ If you are going to nail your flag to the mast, it may as well be a
good one. ‘Kiss Me Hard’ falls on the grittier side of their repertoire, such
as ‘Stutter’ and ‘GAG’. ‘Holding On To Letting Go’ is Walkways ballad; all good
bands should have one. ‘HOTLO’ builds up its pace and is in a similar vein to
Skid Rows ‘I Remember You’. It is also included as an acoustical bonus track.
Both stand tall in their own way.
The rawk returns for the frenetic ‘Leap Of
Faith’ with James Ready letting rip in the soloing stakes and is as good as
anyone I’ve heard in some time. ‘Something ‘Bout You’ falls on the heavy side,
more Grunge than anything preceding this, and sees James making good use of his
wah-wah!
There’s three bonus tracks to take on
board….‘Rain’ a great Quo cover and tribute to the late Rick Parfitt, and
features John Coghlan on drums, ‘Mission Impossible’, another Leppard-esque air
punching anthem if ever I heard one, and finally the afore mentioned ‘HOTLO’
Chris has a bit of Robert Plant in him
(oo-er), and is a front man of excellence. Couple this with James’ ability to
rattle off huge riffs for breakfast and is in the style of some 80s classic
guitarists, and it all makes for a sumptuous experience.
To be honest, this is a good a release as
any band you’ll hear this year. The songs are great, performed with a swagger
and an experience that only comes from experience and age, and constant
touring. Walkway has two of these in abundance (age is on their side). See
these guys live, as this is definitely where the magic happens. They tour that
much, there’s a bloody good chance they will be hitting a town near you soon!
If there’s any justice, more festival
appearances should be on the cards for Walkway, as they would play to many more
I’m guessing than playing 3-5 gigs a week in pubs up and down the UK. It’s
certainly honing their quality, but they truly deserve to play in front of
bigger audiences. Walkway are going places, and its only in one direction….up!
Score 85/100
Tracklisting
Stutter
Best I Ever Had
Get A Grip
Casey
Kiss Me Hard
Modern Day
Same Old Situation
Holding On To Letting Go
Leap Of faith
Something ‘Bout You
Rain (Bonus)
Mission Impossible (Bonus)
Holding On To Letting Go (Acoustic) (Bonus)
Walkway
Chris Ready – Lead Vocals, rhythm guitar,
keys
James Ready – Lead Guitar, backing vocals
Andy Burlace – Drums, backing vocals
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