Grin & Bear It. Brad Marino

Yesterday, I wrote in my review of 'An Otherwise Negative Situation', Geoff Palmer's new album: "I'm sure I've written it before, but just like his former band mate Brad Marino, it's like writing a good song does not take any effort. Most likely it is the opposite, that it takes a lot of effort to make it come out so nice. Whether pure talent or hard work, it shows on An Otherwise Negative Situation". Replace Palmer with Brad Marino and the album title for Grin & Bear It and you have the main message of this review.

With Grin & Bear It Brad Marino has delivered another great pop-rock album. Far more than his former colleague he plays a powerful version of pop music. Had he been born circa 1945, he would have been in the forefront of the U.S.' best pop bands of the 1960s or circa 1955 with the best of the powerpop or punkrock bands of the 1970s, competing with the best coming out of the U.K. at the time. He today is to, except that this music is no longer a top  priority for many people. This most certainly is their loss.

Grin & Bear It is an album that is filled with great songs, containing catchy melodies, clever riffs, short punchy solo's, beautiful harmonies, sweet keyboard melodies, in short, all that a great pop song needs to stick. There are many examples I could give but a song that really, really sticks out in my book is 'I'm Broke'. A modern rock and roll track, shuffle and all, just hurtles forward and forward. A warm organ hovers over the tight rhythm of guitar-bass-drums. Enter some great harmony singing and that punchy kind of guitar solo Brad Marino has a subscription to. With three and a half minute the song clocks in long for a Marino song, but I'm loving every 216 seconds of the song.

You can find the already mentioned Geoff Palmer on bass in a few songs and the Kurt Baker mentioned yesterday even delivers one song, 'Hung Up', and sings backing vocals in one more, 'I'm Broke'. You will also find a rendition of one of the more obscure songs from The Rolling Stones' 'Let It Bleed' album, 'Monkey Man' and the duet with Natalie Sweet, 'Over My Head', on the cd version. Two little extras that make Grin & Bear It even more attractive. This album is one of the finer modern rock and roll albums you will hear this year.

Wout de Natris

You can listen to and order Grin & Beat It here:

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/grin-and-bear-it