Soapbox Saints - Play It Cool

Play It Cool

Soapbox Saints

Released May 2024

Record Label See Music | The Soapbox Saints (bandcamp.com )

Reviewed date 11 July 2024

First paragraph: The Soapbox Saints are a rockabilly trio from come from Rhode Island, USA. This is their first full length album and all songs written by Moretti, except tracks 1,4,6,10 & 13 written by Moretti/Hanlon/Nimmo. Track 3 was written by Moretti/Hanlon. All tracks were Recorded at Studio C-57D "The Shed" Summer of 2023, which is actually Billy Moretti’s home studio.

Members of the Band, The Band consists of Billy Moretti (vocals & guitars), Jack Hanlon (upright bass & vocals) and Tony Nimmo (drums). Special Guests are Frankie "Ranks" Moniz playin saxophone on "No Time" & "Soapbox" and Jami Wolloff playing lap steel on "Alone".

Track by track Review

Looking For Love – A mid-tempo rocker to kick things off. A good blend of honky tonk and rockabilly. The las few bars are done at half speed with some nice vocal harmonies.

No Time – A nice late 50s/early 60s feel to this track. More pop rock than rockabilly.

Rose-colored Glasses – This tracks more than the previous two. A steady guitar riffs drives it along, there’s a nice guitar break, a scream and good slap bass in the best rockabilly tradition.

The Clown – An out and out ballad at the start but then it turns into another rocker. Nice vocals supported by some excellent musicianship, especially the guitar break.

Please – A good rockabilly track that rocks along nicely. A good bopper.

Desire – Definitely a touch of Roy Orbison’s early 60s recordings here. Not an out and out rocker but it is very listenable, and the lead singer carries off the high notes very well.

Alone – A pop/country ballad. The lap steel really adds to the atmosphere of the song.

Love To Love – A pop rocker with some drumming straight out of Buddy Holly’s “Peggy Sue”. Nice vocal harmonies.

Shake – As the title suggests this is a rockabilly track intended to get you moving and “shake what the good lord gave you”. A really nice guitar sound and some good picking too. This track has a good energy to it.

Let's Stroll – Twangy guitar a bit like Duane Eddy in places. An instrumental that you can definitely to the stroll to.

Troublemakers – The start reminds me of the beginning of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis” and that riff carries on through the song but is augmented with some nifty guitar picking, good singing and slap bass solo.

Blackheart – Another good rocker and a superb guitar break. A good bopper!

Soapbox – The rocking continues with the final track which features yet another good guitar break. The saxophone works well in the background.

Summary

I found this to be a very enjoyable album to listen to. The production is good and clean, the boys really know how to play and the singer is no slouch either. The fact they write their own songs and produced the album to such a good standard are other reasons for liking it.

Recommendation

Talent such as this deserves to be supported so I recommend buying this album from Bandcamp or at least stream it from Spotify and the other streaming services.

Links to Social Media

https://youtu.be/7EY3t0xxF8A?si=dkQoA-r787IjlGTq

Reviewed By – Jailhouse John Alexander.

Track List

1. Looking For Love 02:41

2. No Time 02:21

3. Rose-colored Glasses 02:06

4. The Clown 03:23

5. Please 02:34

6. Desire 03:19

7. Alone 02:56

8. Love To Love 03:08