Album Review: Richie Sambora - "Aftermath Of The Lowdown"

Aftermath Of The Lowdown

Artist: Richie Sambora
Release Date: September 2012
Label: Dangerbird
Producer: Richie Sambora / Luke Ebbin
Length: 12 tracks / 51:25

Kitch's Rating: 8/10

Here I am, stepping on the toes of my good friend Ben Carter's blog (read Ben's Music Blog by clicking HERE) by releasing a review of an album I first listened to a few months after most of the rest of the world, and I stumbled upon this guy's work almost by accident. It's the third solo album (and the first on an independent label, an interesting choice) by the man who currently isn't what he usually is, and that's lead guitarist of seminal New Jersey rock band Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora.

"Aftermath of the Lowdown" was released late last year, and is the first solo effort for Sambora since 1998's "Undiscovered Soul." Plenty has happened since then, of course. Aside from a stint in rehab that forced him to miss some Bon Jovi dates in 2007 and again in 2011, both of which followed well-publicised split with wife Heather Locklear in 2006, so there's plenty of real-life material for the twelve-track release. 

Recorded with a very talented backing band, and featuring the collaborative songwriting talents of Sambora and Luke Ebbin (the duo also produced the album), this is a solid outing from a guy more known for backing vocals and guitar solos, and features a lot of stuff you wouldn't hear on Bon Jovi releases, which helps set this body of work apart from Sambora's regular day job. Of course, one thing you can be guaranteed of is plenty of guitar work, and it doesn't disappoint. Currently, Sambora has to be acknowledged as one of the best guitarists in rock and roll. 

More impressive here is Sambora's voice. It's seldom-used in Bon Jovi gigs and albums, apart from harmonies and choruses, but is given all the room in the world here to shine, and shine it does. He's very impressive, a gravelly, powerful kind of voice that makes you sit up and take notice.

This is a great album - better, I think, than the latest Bon Jovi offering - but it doesn't quite scale the very lofty heights that Sambora's debut solo album, 1991's Stranger in This Town, recorded on the heels of the mega Bon Jovi album, New Jersey. If you're looking for some catchy blues-rock, check out that one. The title track of that album is one of my favourite songs ever. Even so, this is an impressive work, showing that Sambora is still creative as a solo artist.

Aftermath of the Lowdown has some very good tunes, amongst them, my favourites: Every Road Leads Home To You, Taking A Chance On The Wind, Seven Years Gone & Backseat Driver. Also definitely worth a listen is Weathering The Storm, co-written by Sambora and Bernie Taupin, of Elton John fame.

In the week before Christmas, as part of the promotional effort for the album from the indie label Dangerbird, Sambora and his band were the first ever house band on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, during which, Richie performed a searing rendition of the Bon Jovi hit "Wanted Dead or Alive".



Epic stuff!!