{"id":67056,"date":"2018-03-06T00:01:35","date_gmt":"2018-03-06T00:01:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=67056"},"modified":"2018-03-06T15:55:12","modified_gmt":"2018-03-06T15:55:12","slug":"album-review-little-caesar-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-little-caesar-eight\/","title":{"rendered":"LITTLE CAESAR – Eight (2018) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

LITTLE CAESAR
Eight<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nGolden Robot (2018)<\/span>
Rating: 8\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I haven\u2019t listened to a Little Caesar album for quite some time, so when this latest release from the Los Angeles-based rockers appeared in my inbox I just had to check it out. I remember buying the band\u2019s first three records \u2013 Name Your Poison EP<\/em> (1989), Little Caesar<\/em> (1990) and Influence<\/em> (1992) \u2013 during what seems a lifetime ago, but good releases they were.<\/p>\n

However, like so many bands that ended up on the Geffen roster, Little Caesar seemed to suffer as the grunge invasion took over. This Time It\u2019s Different<\/em>, a compilation of demos, previously unreleased songs and live tracks, arrived in 1998, but it wasn\u2019t until 2009 that another studio album would emerge with Redemption<\/em>, followed by 2012\u2019s American Dream<\/em>. Since then it appears as if there\u2019s been some stability in the ranks and Eight<\/em>, produced by Bruce Witkin, is testament to that.<\/p>\n

What we get here are 12 tracks (including two bonus tunes), with \u2018Time Enough For That\u2019 being chosen as the lead-off single. The song is a reflective, soulful plodder symbolic of Little Caesar\u2019s almost no frills, yet ballsy rock \u2018n\u2019 roll quality, with those rich, bluesy vocal strains of Ron Young and those aching guitar chords bringing back the halcyon days of soulful 70s rock, circa Humble Pie and Bad Company.<\/p>\n

I dunno, maybe Little Caesar always lacked that sparkle to make it big during an era when so many bands were fighting to survive, but there\u2019s never been any denying the talents of the combo, even with newer members recruited in the form of guitarist Mark Tremalgia and bassist Pharoah Barrett.<\/p>\n

Album opener \u201821 Again\u2019 is a fizzing rocker featuring killer, swaggering riffs that span several decades, while Tom Morris\u2019 drums are a steady backbone in this powerful stomper.<\/p>\n

\u2018Mama Tried\u2019 follows; a racy boogie rocker that is celebratory in its manner as Loren Molinare\u2019s guitar grooves with niftiness alongside that clunky bass. It\u2019s classic rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, but for me it pales in comparison to the true rockers on the opus, namely \u2018Vegas\u2019 with its cool sway and sleazy edge hinting at ZZ Top, \u2018Crushed Velvet\u2019 with a Rolling Stones-esque soulful boastfulness where Young comes to the fore with his vocal prowess, and \u2018Straight Shooter\u2019 which lives up to its title as a hard groover with a killer, infectious lick.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s subtlety too on the record. The slower, bluesy, smokier \u2018Mixed Signs\u2019 is a steady nodder, but it\u2019s the wistful sway of \u2018Morning\u2019 which stands out the most; a cool, crooning episode with a delightfully catchy chorus.<\/p>\n

But whether it\u2019s the stripped down bluster of \u2018Another Fine Mess\u2019 with its Faces\u2019 style drunken groove, or the nifty, Enuff Z\u2019Nuff-meets-Aerosmith styled \u2018That\u2019s Alright\u2019, Little Caesar showcase a diversity and an eye for melody built upon a blues-infused foundation. The ingredients on Eight<\/em> are proof that the basics are all that\u2019s needed to construct a joyous, melodious romp, summed up with the soiled riffage of \u2018Good Times\u2019. And that\u2019s what we\u2019re here for.<\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LITTLE CAESAREight Golden Robot (2018)Rating: 8\/10 I haven\u2019t listened to a Little Caesar album for quite some time, so when this latest release from the Los Angeles-based rockers appeared in my inbox I just had to check it out. I remember buying the band\u2019s first three records \u2013 Name Your Poison EP (1989), Little Caesar […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,3879],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67056","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-little-caesar"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67056","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67056"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67059,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67056\/revisions\/67059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}