Roadcase Royale – First Things First
Loud and Proud Records
http://www.loudandproudrecords.com/artists/roadcase-royale/

Rating: B+

Sometimes in the world of music, strange things that look peculiar on paper end up succeeding in the studio or on stage.

Think Pavarotti and Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan.  Think Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Think Eddie Van Halen and Michael Jackson. None of these pairings appear to make any sense. Yet, they were all massively successful.

Now comes another ‘think outside the box’ type of collaboration called Roadcase Royale.  With any luck, this band will also be a massive success...musically, they’ve already earned the right for it to be.     

Nancy Wilson from Heart and R&B vocalist Liv Warfield, a former member of Prince’s New Power Generation, have teamed up to create one of the most musically diverse albums of 2017. 

By ‘diverse’ I do not mean it is all over the map.  No…in this case it is the blending of styles that makes this one have a sound all its own.  There is soul, rock, pop and funk all driven forward by outstanding vocals and lots of guitars.

The opening track “Get Loud” starts this one off with a huge batch of rock ‘n roll energy. Throughout the album the music blends hard rock and sweet soul.  One simply can’t take their ears off the music!

Some of the songs are emotionally powerful including the soulful  “Mind Your Business” and “Never Say Die.”  The tune “Cover Each Other” is pure rock pop with a killer vibe that begs for repeated plays.  “The Dragon” is the bad-ass rock track on this sucker.  It is this writers favorite on the album. 

Two Heart songs will be of interest to readers of Classic Rock Revisited.  “These Dreams” is still soft and pretty.  It is not too different than the original version, but the soulful rhythm section brings new light to this classic tune. The other remake is “Even It Up” the old school Heart classic. This one is just amazing.  This tune is given the full Royale treatment. The end result contains all of the elements that make this entire album such a breath of fresh air.  All I can say about this tune is ‘wow’!

Nancy Wilson sums it up best when she says, “It’s been such an exciting and creative experience, and so effortless. With this band, it feels like the first time all over again, just because of the enthusiasm and energy we share when we get together.”

This is, simply put, a cool collaboration that works very well. 

Don’t take my word for it.  Watch and listen to the video below and then go out and buy some concert tickets as Roadcase Royale is hitting the road.  The band will do a few headlining gigs and then fill the opening slot for rock god Bob Seger all across America.

Any fan of Nancy Wilson and Heart needs to check this sucker out. 

Track listing
1. Get Loud
2. Not Giving Up
3. Hold On To My Hand
4. Even It Up
5. Cover Each Other
6. The Dragon
7. Insaniac
8. These Dreams
9. Mind Your Business (Live)
10. Never Say Die

Line-up
Nancy Wilson (v, g)
Liv Warfield (v)
Ryan Waters (g)
Chris Joyner (k)
Dan Rothchild (b)
Ben Smith (d)

By Jeb “The Barracuda” Wright