Alan Merrill
It’s Always Rock ’N Roll MEC
Sadly departed anthem creator hits his last targets.
Former Arrow Alan Merrill wrote I Love Rock & Roll, almost as a throwaway, as a riposte to the Stones suggesting it was ‘only’ that. Sadly he died in March after contracting Covid-19. This swansong stays true to the credo of his best-known anthem, perhaps a touch too much, playing largely within well-worn lines of 12-bar blues and tidy guitar licks. Yet his skills, honed over the years - even before moving to England and forming Arrows, the New Yorker was in Japan’s first glam rock group, and later worked in Meat Loaf and Rick Derringer’s bands - seep through. Tempo shifts slide in and the soulful Still Feel The Same pays homage to The Temptations with a dash of Southside Johnny. Rueful ballad Heart Full Of Sorrow drinks from Bad Company’s cup, Merrill’s voice weathered and emotive. An undeniable poignancy colours a workmanlike album with an undercurrent of grace.