Shine-Eye Dee & The Bad Fish Music Album Review

I have no hesitation in nominating this album as one the most outstanding  blues/rock albums of 2015. Manchester based studio producer and musician Geoff Rees is the creative driving force behind the music and manages to make every track a winner, there simply isn’t an inferior track amongst this excellent collection of songs. The icing on the cake surely has to be the superb vocal talents of Shine-Eye Dee who has a sultry but powerful and distinctive vocal presence on all the tracks. Her vocals are perfect for this music and she pitches her voice with pure emotion and precise tonal quality into each song, the hallmark of a true vocal artist.

“Ride” opens the album with a truck stop boogie ‘power glide’ and takes the listener into the badlands of Arizona & New Mexico which sets the scene for things to come with the following track “Outlaw Man” telling story of an old western gun fighter on the run, perhaps an ode to Wild Bill Longley with Shine-Eye Dee slowly tightening the noose on the song before the outlaw finally mounts the gallows to meet his maker. “Problem Child” is defined by Geoff’s low down mean & dirty blues riff which sucks the listener into the age old tale of forlorn and doomed infatuation with a feel and sound production reminiscent of the Alannah Myles classic “Black Velvet”.

“Pretty Baby” is in my opinion the “single” on this album with a totally hypnotic rock guitar riff that nails it to the mast from the very first note with a killer middle eight bridge section and vocals to die for from Shine-Eye Dee, this song has total instant appeal.

 “Perfect Circumstance” has a flow all of its own and is an inspired mid tempo bitter sweet country rock song which touches the listener with positive sentiment raising the spirit whilst exposing an almost fatalistic flaw within the ideal of the song’s theme and title. “Midnight Hoochie Coo” is an ‘out and out’ good time rocker with a great mix of guitar and piano with a powerful gutsy vocal delivery, a real foot stomper. “Cheatin’ Blues” is an earthy slow burner in a similar vein to “Trouble” the Leiber & Stoller classic recorded by Elvis. The song “You Are” finds Shine-Eye Dee vocalizing on this laid back track in a higher register pitch with strong Southern Rock overtones augmented with some very atmospheric guitar playing by Geoff Rees.

The ‘ace up the sleeve’ here is “Flotsam & Jetsam” which is the real ‘chill factor ten’ song on this album as it touches the inner sanctum of the soul with the sadness of loss and a life unfulfilled, backed by just piano & violin Shine-Eye Dee’s haunting and melancholic voice brings the listener to their knees as broken dreams and memories come flooding back to haunt us. Stone statues will lie weeping in the wake of this song, pure genius!

“Lonely Highway” is a Freeway fast lane rocker that puts you back in the driving seat but I would be more than happy to travel down this highway with Shine-Eye Dee & The Bad Fish which I do every time I hear this album, after all isn’t that what good music is supposed to do, transport the listener. It’s all here in one album, great songs delivered with real emotion, hats off to Shine-Eye Dee (Dee Chambers) & The Bad Fish (Geoff Rees). It just doesn’t get any better than this!

UPDATE 16th March 2024 The Album is now available again on all the main streaming & download platforms plus  ‘You Tube Music’ via RouteNote & Twosome Records.  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_l54DPrBmYTttQzaOecECp9rGWDUQ5_rOw

Original Review by-

Lucas Campbell

26^th July 2015 

Album Preview “Outsiders’ By The Senton Bombs

Yet another impressive album release by the kingpins of the Blackpool & Fylde coast rock scene who have made the transition from their early punk leanings into the hard rock and metal arena.

The ‘Outsiders’ opening title track sets the scene as the band throws down their  gauntlet with a locked and loaded killer guitar riff underscored with the song’s battle cry chorus ‘Outsiders Ain’t Comin In’ from the distinctive vocal chords of front man & bassist Joey Class.

The ‘Outsiders’ opening salvo makes a serious statement of intent by the band that they don’t fit in and they inhabit the margins of society, something that will resonate strongly with all rockers and lovers of this music who share these same sentiments. It somehow reminds me of when Jim Morrison mentions about being “Out here in the perimeter”.

 There is almost a gladiatorial element that defines this heavy guitar driven rock music as all the combatants endeavour to make the crowd give the biggest roar in appreciation also with the hope of surviving the performance for a return booking at their local rock coliseum. Hopefully no blood was spilt making this album and putting comparisons with ancient Rome aside The ‘Outsiders’ video and album’s Western influenced imagery seems to cast the band into gunslinger terrain confirming my suspicions that there are hidden strains of  ‘outlaw country’ lurking within the soft underbelly of this band.

 “Who We Are” is classic Senton Bombs full tilt ‘rock me like my back ain’t got no bone’ rock & roll, a skull crushing experience guaranteed to wake the dead with strident bass & drum combination that sounds like an express train about to crash through the gates of hell, whilst “Violet Black” which follows continues at break neck speed into the bowels of hades with some fret sizzling lead guitar breaks, and just when you thought it couldn’t be any faster or more intense “I Am Ablaze” (and who wouldn’t be as this point) simply explodes into a total fireball crescendo which concludes a trio of  supersonic head bangers heaven songs which few of us could survive without high quality neck braces and painkillers currently unavailable over the counter.

“Reckless Youth” is a medium pace rocker followed by the anthemic “Bury The Hatchet” which has a great late 1950’s early 1960’s guitar sound, a theme that is reflected again the more mellow almost sentimental “Remind Me Of The Moon” which is one of the albums outstanding tracks and showcases a different dimension to Joey Class’s vocal talents.

“Dead Revoltion” finds the band at warp factor five with another slice of take no prisoners rock & roll that is the Senton Bombs hallmark. “Video” has a charm all of it’s own and appears to recount the nostalgia of video games and is perhaps one of the most radio friendly commercial tracks.

“Under Offer” breaks the mold again as the band moves into new territory with a moody bluesy retro rocker that even Elvis could have once wailed. A nice mention in the song for Ricky Nelson too, old rock & rollers can never die if they get a name check in a Senton Bombs song!

“Wake The Maker” is another smash and grab rock till you drop opus with an infectious riff and chorus and is the album’s final rip roaring offering bringing to a final climax another fine album of well crafted songs superbly produced by Ronnie Bomb the bands long-time producer and associate.

The drum work by skin thumper Scott Mason is rock solid and creates the mainframe for the bass and six stringers Damien Kage & Johnny Gibbons to weave their magic strings around. Joey’s vocals are as strong as ever and further plaudits are due as he bravely steps away from his usual vocal timbre in several songs and delivers some slightly more mellow tones, which for me personally are some of the albums highlights.

To quote a line from the opening song ‘Outsiders’ “Freedom for the few who can’t conform” is exactly what can be found in the music on this album, which is why it is such compulsive listening!

Lucas Campbell

The Rock of Ages Radio Show

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