British rock trio Wolf Jaw just released latest album called ‘The Heart Won’t Listen’, a scorching collection of retro sounding, blues infused rock. The band, hailing from the town of Cannock in England’s West Midlands, was formerly known as Bad Flowers, and consists of singer/guitarist Tom Leighton, Dale Tonks on bass and vocals, and Karl Selickis on drums.
Wolf Jaw’s brand of rock clearly draws inspiration from 70’s and 90’s rock, with cool guitar riffs and blistering solos thrown in. Songs like ‘Open Your Eyes’ evoke memories of Led Zeppelin, without being a rip off. In fact, you’ll be able to pick fleeting hints of many different influences throughout the album, but always as part of their own sound.
The songwriting is very good, but never really rises to the ‘hit’ level. I find myself hard pressed to find faults with the record, but at the same time, none of the songs really ever stick in my head. The performance is also a bit subdued, like the musicians are trying too hard to record a perfect take, and I think that in the end it’s selling the songs short. I think Wolf Jaw has a lot of potential, but I don’t feel like it’s entirely there on this album. I checked out Their 2018 album ‘Starting Gun’, and it’s more in your face sonically, and is played with more gusto. Having that same fire on ‘The Heart Won’t Listen’ would have been perfect in my opinion.
The album comes with a bonus track available exclusively on physical CD purchases of the album, called ‘Living the Dream’. It’s one of the best tracks on the record, so it’s not just a throwaway. ‘The Heart Won’t Listen’ is available now everywhere.
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