Could this be the ghost of Phil Lynott coming back to haunt us? Taunt us? Or to rock us? The answer to all of these questions is yes. Bacchanalian shaman /song-man Shawn Waters’ vocal timbre and delivery certainly evoke memories of the late, great Thin Lizzy front-man, and so does his penchant for mayhem and disorder. The bellicose band leader proclaims this debut collection as “a drug induced suicide orgy in my hotel room for a reasonable fee.” Fair enough. With a throw-in-the-kitchen-sink ethos, Waters & Company cover lots of ground, traversing garage (“The Last Man On Earth”), reggae (“Leave A Trail of Dead”), campy jazz (“My Secret Wife”), glam (Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love”), soul (“Baby Don’t Go”) and full blown arena rock bombast (“A Flower’s Funeral”). Though Group Think bash their way through ten tracks as if their sordid lives depended on it, Roz Raskin’s sweet harmonies and vintage organ riffs afford the record passion aplenty. If sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is your idea of a good time - look no further than Songs For You.
--Tom Semioli
