Too Much Guitar
Too Much Guitar reveals its intentions immediately. Reigning Sound push the guitars forward and let the rhythm section play hard against them. Greg Cartwright sings with a rough conviction that suits the approach. Beneath the noise, plenty of room remains for melodies and songs expressing more than the desire to play loudly.
The foundation lies in older rock and roll and rhythm and blues. The band simply treat that music with far greater pressure. Your Love Is a Fine Thing makes the approach clear: a forceful entrance opens into a recognisable chorus, with backing voices providing another colour. Melody gives the guitars direction without reducing their impact, connecting the attack to something immediately memorable.
You Got Me Hummin' maintains that rhythmic emphasis. Short, assertive movements demonstrate how well garage punk and soul can work together. When You Touch Me uses harmonica and catchy singing to carry the momentum further. The band trust their interplay and need few additional touches to sound lively. Their energy comes from how firmly the separate parts pull together.
Funny Thing gives the blues more room. Cartwright need not soften his voice to reveal a more sensitive side. Drowning also offers a calmer form in which melody remains important. Such moments make the album less one-sided than its title and guitar sound initially suggest. The songs have an emotional range beyond the surface force of their performances.
That force does cost some nuance. Anyone seeking the gentler soul side will find less space to settle into it here. The musical style is familiar too. Yet Cartwright's conviction makes a considerable difference. He brings strong songs and makes the rough sound work for them. Too Much Guitar is energetic and unusually sure of its purpose.
