Simon Kirke – All because of you

Some of you are probably familiar with the name Simon Kirke, but those who don’t know the name will certainly have listened to songs he played on.  Simon Kirke was a member of legendary rock band Free, having been recruited by Paul Kossoff to form the band.  Being a member of one band of that stature would be enough for many, but when Free split, Simon Kirke joined Pal Rodgers in a new band – Bad Company. Bad Company has had various lineups over the years but there is only one member who has played in every lineup the band has had – Simon Kirke.  Bad Company is of course still around, but Simon Kirke has found the time to write and record a new solo album – All because of you.  The album will be released in February 2017 via BMG Rights Management / Absolute.

For this album, Simon Kirke doesnt just play the drums – he does almost everything, doing vocals, guitar, ukelele, keyboards and drums.  He does have a band (The Empty Pockets) playing on the album and a guest musician too but the album really is demonstrating just how versatile a musician he is.  Obviously fans of Bad Company will spot there’s a new version of “Feel like making love” on the album.  It’s a more laid back version than the Bad Company original, particularly with the use of the ukelele but it’s such a strong song that the new version while being very different is still a damn good one.  You can have a listen to it at the bottom of this review.

When you’ve had a career like Simon Kirke has then there’s no need to pander to trends which means he actually has a lot more freedom than most artists to make the album he wants, and that’s visible more than anywhere else in the song “Friends into the wood” which is a childrens song he wrote.

On “Trouble road” Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes joins Simon Kirke.  It’s the heaviest song on the album, but then this isnt a hard rock album – it’s rock but strays more towards pop than hard rock.  It’s a very good album, and a pleasure to listen to, but if you want something heavy then it’s not for you, but if you want something that you can chill out listening to then this is well worth a listen.

“All because of you” will be released on 10th February 2017

Track listing:

1. All because of you
2. Warm Gulf waters
3. Feel like making love
4. Melting on Madison
5. Maria
6. Wind and the rain
7. Into the light
8. Friends in the woods
9. Lie with you
10. Trouble road
11. Stay with me

https://youtu.be/7KaZqjpNz9c