Sami Yaffa – The Innermost Journey To Your Outermost Mind

Sami Yaffi is a name that’s synonymous with Hanoi Rocks first of all and then New York Dolls, so the credentials are pretty impressive.  Although playing music has always up until now as a team player, Sami has taken an impressive 40 plus years to finally show the world what he is capable of in his own right.  Hence ‘The Innermost Journey To Your Outermost Mind’ was born, a culmination of all those years of life changing experiences, a musical journey into a head that must be filled with so much that we mere mortals could not comprehend, well here is our chance to get a look inside.

“Writing this album only started a few years back” Sami says, “songs that felt more like my own than for others”.  So here we are, finger poised to hit play, what to expect?  Well let’s just jump in and see….

‘Armageddon Together’ opens the book so to speak, a very standard rock sound, yet something feels different, maybe it’s the punk influence that Sami says follows him through the the years, in any case this track gives a little more that its sounds suggests.  ‘Selling Me Shit’ drops next and now we get punk rock attitude, a much more in ya face song that still finds time to hit some cool reggae beats so far through, which is also followed up on in ‘Rotten Roots’ the Clash influence is palpable.

It’s not long before you feel this album could so easily be a keeper, a pandoras box of style and sound is unleashed for your pleasure, if like myself your a fan of anything that strays away from the bunch when it comes to music, this is right up your street, yes it does have some bog standard Rock n Roll in there, and why not, but rock blues is covered by the likes of ‘Germinator’,  ‘Down At St Joe’s’ gives you a ballad of rock country proportions, then roll in ‘I Can’t Stand It’ which brings a blistering White Stripes esque sound, then just when you think things have gone as far as they can, in comes ‘Look Ahead’ with some pure Gogol Bordello Gypsy theatre laid bare for all to see.

Admittedly from track one, it did strike me that this could so easily have been a straight follow through from Sami’s Hanoi Rocks days, but how fully wrong could that be, an album that strikes at the heart of what music should be all about, never shying away from playing what feels right, no matter where it takes you.

An album that 100% should not be judged on its writers former exploits, but most defiantly wears its heart on its punk rock sleeve. You could reel off so many more influences than previously mentioned, direct or indirect, but this album doesn’t just deserve to stand on its own, but demands too!! 

Out on September 22nd 2021

Find plenty more info on Sami on his FACEBOOK

Pre-order from Cargo Records HERE