Wiser Time - All for One (Independent) You can pluck out any combination of decent late 60’s / early 70’s honest-to-goodness get-down-and-get-with-it full-on rock acts and find reference points for Wiser Time. More so than the bloated stadium rock collision of Aerosmith meets Bad Company however the heart and soul of this album is probably best found in the bar-room boogie of the Faces, Humble Pie, mid-period Stones and even early Whitesnake. Characterised by a rock solid and incorruptible rhythm section, blues-derived guitars and gutsy vocals married to the undeniable sense of a Good Night Out this has all the ingredients that made that period such a golden one for rock and roll, with added distinction courtesy of a touch of Southern character, borrowed from Molly Hatchet or Blackfoot, to belie their New Jersey / New York origins. While this only ever remains a good thing for as long as the material matches up, in this case I’m happy to report that it does. From the calculatedly loafish title track to the more studied “High Time Mind” (complete with quasi-gospel backing voices), the slow-burning “Floating Blue” and full-on rocker “Hammer Down” the set is not just well made but so clearly steeped in honest affection for what they do that any charges of being out of time or place are quickly overruled. www.wiser-time.com Neil B. Next