The Wildhearts – Chutzpah 4/5

01. The Jackson Whites 3:29 02. Plastic Jebus 3:18 03. The Only One 3:52 04. John of Violence 3:53 05. You Are Proof That Not All Women Are Insane 2:49 06. Tim Smith 3:30 07. Low Energy Vortex 3:30 08. You Took the Sunshine From New York 3:41 09. Mazel Tov Cocktail 3:01 10. Chutzpah 5:47

Hang about. What’s a band like The Wildhearts doing on here? They’re surely too poppy for this site? Yes, it’s true that most melodies and choruses from Newcastle’s finest are so sugary they’ll rot your teeth faster than acid flavoured sherbet but anyone sufficiently clued-up knows that they’ve also offered some fantastic crushing riffage in their time. It’s this cracking combination – plus an abundance of brilliant songs – that’s made them the Brit rock legends that they are, not to mention this writer’s favourite band. Oops, let a bit of bias slip there, didn’t I? Yeah well, it’s partly my podcast too and I’m in a plugging mood.

Chutzpah is defined as gall, audacity or nerve and it’s a quality that Ginger and his frequently changing band of merry men posses in bucket loads. Frequently overlooked throughout their career in favour of the latest unit-shifting soulless dross passing for rock at the time, The Wildhearts were never afraid to stick it to “the man” and despite the seemingly countless times when they’ve allowed their own “fuck it all” attitude or infamous penchant for rock n’ roll excesses to derail them, they’ve always bounced back with more fantastic tunes.

Their latest offering is no exception despite being delivered off the back of an unusually stable period for the band. Infact this is the first Wildhearts album in a long while to be released by the same line up as that of its predecessor and it shows as ‘Chutzpah’ is a more instant record which flows together better than 2007’s self-titled offering (a good record but definitely a bit of a grower).

To sum this album up in a sentence: it’s business as usual in Ginger and co’s camp and business is as fucking good as ever. Opener ‘The Jackson Whites’ is classic Wildhearts through and through and should be a sure-fire live hit for years to come. The rest of the songs continue with the usual mix of crunch and croon that we’ve come to expect from these UK stalwarts who can expect to hear any of the smashing choruses on here devotedly yelled back at them in venues across the country.

Ginger’s efforts to split singing and songwriting duties (previously showcased on the ‘Coupled With’ B-sides collection) continue to pay off splendidly on first single ‘The Only One’. Lyrically it might be a little too soppy for some suckerpunchers out there but hey, that’s their problem. Another major highlight is ‘You Took The Sunshine From New York’ – arguably more reminiscent of something from Ginger’s excellent ‘Valor Del Corazon’ album than typical Wildhearts fare but a great tune nonetheless and a prime example of his ability to marry sombre lyrical topics with catchy pop.

Criticisms? Not really other than the trifling fact that this doesn’t entirely match up to the untouchable rock masterclass of ‘Earth Vs. The Wildhearts’ but so what? Despite the incredible standards the band have set for themselves over the years, this still trounces all the piss-weak faux-cockney “rock” polluting the charts right now. Nobody wants to live in the past forever. They may never attain the levels of success their talent merits – and may be all the better for it – but it does this fan’s heart proud to hear them still delivering the goods.

Chutzpah is available to buy or download at play.com

Genre : Heavy Rock / Punk

Article by Gordy Jeans