Colin Reid
Los Angeles, California, United States
Music
Press
Once upon a time in the land of California, a younger man by my same name was big into melodic hard rock bands like Montrose and Scorpions, groups that featured muscled-up guitars delivering catchy riffs and singalong choruses. Today I look to groups like Jet or maybe Chickenfoot for this kind of big sound. Colin Reid seems to have absorbed a lot of the same history, while adding his own twist on it, giving his powerful, guitar-heavy tunes a bit of a sun-splashed Southern California feel.
The singer-songwriter-guitarist opts for the pure power-trio format here, just himself on guitars and a rhythm section of Maurice Verloop (bass) and Dan Welby (drums). For the first three songs of this 11-track debut, his focus is more on melody than muscle; “Another Way” and “Fall Away” in particular feature strong hooks and choruses that stick in your head. The lyrics are solid, too, with the former offering pointed commentary on a breakup (“Someone’s got to be the one who stays”) and the latter delivering a rather Zen message about acceptance (“Let your anger / Fall away”).bim_ad_daily_vault_print_250
These tracks alternate with the heavier “So You Say,” its slicing notes building to a nice release at the chorus, and “Fair Weather Saint,” a tight, propulsive number that should set heads a-banging. The former also features an honest-to-god guitar solo, laser-precise enough to remind of Tom Petty’s main man Mike Campbell.
The rest of this ride leans to the heavy side of Reid’s sound while showing some versatility. “No Good Reason” is bluesy and playful; the hyperactive “Never The Same” starts with a long intro/jam; and “Head Down” has almost a Bon Jovi feel to it, metal with the sharp edges sanded off. In between, the title track offers another Zen-influenced lyric about wanting things you can’t have, this time set to relatively mellow guitars.
The one place where Reid still seems to be finding himself is on his vocals. A lot of the time here, he goes with a hard rock growl with some grit to it. This works fine on the heavier songs, but interestingly, he’s even better when he dials it back to sing in a smoother voice, as on “Fall Away,” the title track, and the closing ballad “You’ll Know.” Is there a happy medium in there somewhere? Probably.
Colin Reid has the chops to be a genuine triple threat as a singer-songwriter-guitarist, and great instincts for rock that’s both heavy and melodic. Here’s hoping that What We Can’t Have is only the beginning.
Rating: B+ - www.dailyvault.com
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
Out of Los Angeles by way of Vancouver, British Columbia, Colin Reid has done a little bit of this and a little bit of that on his way to finally releasing new music this past summer. Hes played on other peoples albums, hes taken teaching jobs, he even plays in a progressive rock band with Nick Menza from Megadeth called Deltanaut. After years of work writing songs, Reid finally put together the perfect batch of songs and headed into Sound Mountain Studios in Santa Clarita, California to work on his new album.
The result of Reids sessions at Sound Mountain Studios is What We Cant Have. The record was produced by Reid with Chris Collier engineering and mixing. Following its release in May he was able to play his CD release show at The Viper Room in Hollywood to a packed house. Reids music story is just beginning, but its important to understand where he came from to get a better understanding of where hes going.
Reids father David is himself an accomplished pianist, and it was from his father that Colin initially found his passion for music. Colin started piano at the age of five and discovered rock and roll shortly after by diving into his fathers record collection.
I would sit there and listen to my Dads vinyl, said Reid. He had all sorts of stuff. I listened to The Police, Zeppelin, The Who, The Beatles, The Stones, Cream, Hendrix... all that kind of stuff. I would just lay there and look at the sleeves.
Eventually Reid grew into his own as a musician, learning multiple instruments and styles of music. He also learned how to write songs, something that he consistently works at.
Its a continually evolving process, says Reid. Im still my own worst critic and Im always trying to move forward and get better with what I write. I think what I wrote for this record was the best Id written up to that point, but I also think that my best music is still to come and the stuff that Im working on now for the second record is going to be even better.
Theres always room for growth, but What We Cant Have is a solid foundation for Reid to build on. You can hear the potential that he has a songwriter and artist. Besides the rhythm section of drummer Dan Welby and bassist Maurice Verloop, you can also hear his father play on the album; something that seems fitting because of how Colins passion for music started.
Its always been my dream to create this and put it out there. It took a while, but its out there. Its also great that my dads on the album. He got to play some piano and string parts on the record. If you listen closely, you can hear him. Thats something well have forever, and I think thats pretty cool.
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