Formed by the sons of Aerosmith axe-wielder Joe Perry, The Chrome Alligator’s, you imagine, wouldn’t need much of a ‘leg up’. But don’t let that take anything away from the solid collection of well crafted American rock songs that makes up Aerosmith: The Next Generation’s Zoo Noises. Tab The Band have a foot in the early 70s here with a brash, energetic and retro sounding rock ‘n’ roll album. Throughout ‘Zoo Noises’ you can hear the influence of The Stones, The Small Faces and Creedance. The alt-country harmony opener ‘It’s Over’ sets the tone of the album and leads us into rock number ‘Be My Valentine’ and ‘I’ll be Waiting’ has a real Rolling Stones Exile of Main Street-era sound to it, and builds into a likeable, feel good tune, with some slide guitar Keith Richards would be proud of. Highlights include off-kilter country ballad ‘Southern Town’ and the explosive ‘Drinka Cuppa Poppy’. ‘She Said No (I Love You)’, ‘Your Mission’ and the equally strong ‘Bought and Sold’ are all of high quality, and display The Moonshine Enema’s forte for excellent intros. ‘Bobby And Jane’ also stands out as a swirling and heady high-energy number. Good, solid stuff overall.
