Marvelous 3 - IV

 

I will admit to having some reservations about a new Marvellous 3 album. Like most around at the time, I was a massive fan of those three albums like most of the Power Poppers around the time and I stuck with Butch Walker for a good while longer.

But Avril Lavigne onwards, everything got so over produced and bombastic. I particularly got fed up of those bloody handclaps and the kitchen sink Rawk. However I am happy to report that the return is really good, different to what has gone before, but still really enjoyable. 

Both Walker's production and performance are more restrained, but the album is largely more AOR than Power Pop. IV though has some great Power Pop moments, even if they are more mainstream than those late nineties. 

There is a real zest to the songs with real riff driven joyous flair. The odd time, it all gets a little Bryan Adams, particularly on Jackie And Tina. But If We We're On Fire (Let It Burn) is a crackerjack of a song that fairly rips along.

Kill A Motherfucker That Breaks Your Heart is a top notch rock out, despite that head shaking song title. The riff is simply awesome. She Sheila benefits from a cracking intro and is a 100mph race that wants to be harder rock, but is never allowed.

Time To Let It Go closes the album and is a great slowed down more acoustic involved affair and the chorus demonstrates how good Walker excels at such. There is loads to like here. It is a great melodic rock album and should appeal to such an audience well. I'm not sure that it is Marvellous 3, but it was never intended to be stuck in the 90s.

The album is available to listen to and buy everywhere.

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