It's a shame that
Steve Mariott never got a chance to hear this record -- he probably would have dug it. Produced by industry veteran
Joe Hardy (
Steve Earle/
ZZ Top),
the Mother Station's major-label debut is a glorious, celebratory, amalgamation of blues, soul, and just plain kick ass rock & roll. Led by powerhouse singer
Susan Marshall and guitar sensation
Gwin Spencer,
Brand New Bag features 11 original
Station compositions, plus a scorching cover of
Humble Pie's "Fool for a Pretty Face." Although not even throughout,
Spencer and company put in a diligent effort on tracks like "Put the Blame on Me," "Somebody Else Will," and the album's centerpiece "Heart Without a Home," which features some pretty mind-numbing guitar work. For a myriad of reasons, the album failed to make a dent at retail (probably due to the musical climate in 1994) and was sadly overlooked -- a real bummer.
Brand New Bag is the kind of record that will appeal to new and old-school fans of real rock & roll. So, if you've ever liked
Humble Pie, if you've ever been intrigued by
the Faces, or even played "Remedy" by
Black Crowes on auto repeat, you should make every effort to track down this album in your favorite secondhand record store.