This Ain’t The Time by Mark Twang Trio
Release in June 2022
Reviewed on 23/05/2022
Reviewed by Holger E. @radioteddyboys1983
The Trio is based in Germany (Düsseldorf). A City with a very large background in music and bands.
But this is beside the point. It is a great accomplishment by the trio to combine the raw sound of Rock&Roll with Blues/Country without losing their own identity. These guys played with legends like Dave Phillips so you know what you can expect right? Wrong..... It’s even better then you expected.
The Band consists of Mark Twang on Vocals and Guitar, Marcus Lange on Slap-Bass, Raphael Landauer on Drums and Paddy Evans on Backing Vocals
Track by Track
1.: Blurry Nights: Straight out of the starting block Mark sets the tempo to medium speed. To keep it nice and steady Raphael is using plenty of open and closed Hi Hats and Cymbals that it make your foot tapping like mad. Marcus is just slapping his Heart out, it sounds so effortless and it never gets lost in the background. Now Mark on the other hand is making sure that his Guitar strings will catch fire by the end of this Album. Great Guitar solos and Vocals that fit just perfect. And all that backed up by some cool background Vocals.
2.: Haunted: Here you will be haunted by Rhythm, Rhythm and more Rhythm. Building up on a solid Guitar riff Mark sets the bar even higher and breaks up the track with some cool solos and riff. The Slap-Bass reminds me of some Sun Studio Recordings from 54 (love it) and is intertwined with a dry but rolling sounding Drum. Cool sounding up-tempo track with lots of head bobbing and foot tapping.
3.: Shape Your In: In slips the influence of Folk Rock or Alternative Country with the hint of ZZ-Top.
This mid-tempo track has a fat sounding Guitar, a low Slap-Bass that once in a while sticks out his strings to play off against the Guitar. If Drums could get solid this would be the foundation of any house, nice precise and hard hitting. There is this split second delay between Guitar and Drums right at the beginning that gives this track a certain character. Mark’s Vocals are getting more the Blues makeover (Jump Blues)and gets a brilliant backup by the Backing Vocals.
4.: Redheads: I hope you love Slap-Bass because Marcus is dictating the tempo. He never slows down or misses a beat. Unbelievable. Raphael is showing of his skills on Drums to keep things in check. Mark’s riffs and solos sounding like there was a Redhead around when recording this track.
5.: Crippled Inside: Now we just slow down a bit. It’s Country? For me it’s like a track out of a Johnny Cash album. The way Mark is playing his Guitar as Lead and Rhythm is genius. Marcus is putting down a Slap-Bass right out of 1955, so that Raphael can take it easy on the Drums to fill out the background of this track.
6.: I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love: Well we will all fall in love with the Mark Twang Trio if they keep playing like this. Slow Country/Rock&Roll. Mix that with a reverb heavy Guitar and low Vocals and this song will touch your heart. Marcus and Raphael keeping it low key to just let the song speak for itself.
7.: Jump: Up-beat and fast is the wakeup call here to make you Jump. Mark is definitely jumping on his Guitar strings, just listen. Slap-Bass Marcus is mixing his fast slapping with some slow playing to give this track a perfect balance. Raphael is like a man possessed, playing some jazzy style shuffle to Jump Blues into short hammering solos. Hope you will jump to that on the dance-floor.
8.: This Ain’t The Time: This is the title track of this release and oh my god, it is fast simple and just f....ing awesome. Delta Bombers just more rough and honest if you ask me.
9.: Broken Heart Hill: Saddle up Folks. Horses, Tumble Weed and Cowboys. Finger picking Guitar in harmony with a low down solid Slap-Bass and rocking Drums. Should it be a sad song? Maybe but you will always come out better the other side.
10.: Tease Like That: Blues heavy track where the Guitar points the way and the Rhythm makes your head bob. The Drums and Slap-Bass sounding nearly as one unit (which i never really heard). What else can they do if the Trio is presenting tracks like this to the world.
11.: Twist Of The Knife: Flowing back into a darker version of Rock&Roll/Rockabilly with the reverb on the Guitar turned up high to paly solos as if your life depends on it. And with that Mark flattens us with his low and rough vocals. Raphael’s drumming is holding it all together and filling the background out to push Marcus and his Slap-Bass right in the middle which he plays like a train rolling down the track.
12.: Waitin For Saturday Night: You don’t have to Wait For Saturday. Tons and tons of rock heavy Guitar that screams from time to time. Drums that are happy to play up-tempo and push this track forward. Let’s not forget this slapping Bass that will not leave your ear anytime, ever, during this track. Reminds me in part at Matchbox.
13.: I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love (Bonus Track): Oh, but this track is already on this album. Yes and No.
Listen closely. This bonus track has some very subtle Background Vocals that you don’t have on track 6. For me this track went from a 10 to an 11.
Summary:
Ok so. This is just one Trio that you just can’t miss out on. One Trio, one Room, one Day and 13 tracks that’s what Mark Twang Trio is all about. No computer, no Gimmicks, no BS. Three guys and a Mic and the outcome is phenomenal. The mix of Rock&Roll, Country and Blues is outstanding.
Track listing:
1.: Blurry Nights:
2.: Haunted:
3.: Shape Your In:
4.: Redheads:
5.: Crippled Inside:
6.: I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love:
7.: Jump:
8.: This Ain’t The Time:
9.: Broken Heart Hill:
10.: Tease Like That:
11.: Twist Of The Knife:
12.: Waitin For Saturday Night:
13.: I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love (Bonus Track):
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marktwangtrio
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