Album Review: James Williamson And The Pink Hearts – Behind The Shade

James Williamson, a 2010 inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of The Stooges, is now set to release his most stylistically diverse musical statement to date with his new group, James Williamson And The Pink Hearts. Fronted by Los Angeles-based vocalists Frank Meyer, of The Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs, and Petra Haden, from That Dog and The Haden Triplets, the new band’s repertoire promises to encompass everything from feral rockers to soul-searching balladry. Behind The Shade will be released on CD, vinyl and digital formats, via Leopard Lady Records on Friday 22nd June.

The opening track on Behind The Shade takes you back to style of Raw Power, a snotty garage punk rocker that carries James Williamson‘s scorching guitar style in abundance. This is not an album whose intent is to recreate The Stooges, Judith Christ takes the album off in a rockier more melodic direction and there are acoustic moments, boogie based rock ‘n roll and even melodic rock that populate much of the album, but things do kick back into gear towards the back end of Behind The Shade with Revolution Stomp.

Behind The Shade is the logical conclusion of James Williamson‘s solo releases and collaborations, as a result this is an album that veers across the musical spectrum, but James Williamson‘s imprint is all over this, and as Raw Power in particular was one of the most influential records on the fledgeling punk scene then that’s no bad thing. This collaborative nature of the album means that everything on here is unlikely to be to everyone’s tastes but the high points on Behind The Shade are dizzying and these moments are evidence that the spirit of The Stooges is still alive and well.

Behind The Shade can be pre-ordered on physical formats here and digitally here