Review: Lions In the Street ‘Moving Along’
By Hal Horowitz
This Canadian/Californian quartet could have made a decent living as the finest Rolling Stones/Faces tribute act on earth.
But thankfully, that wasn’t enough for Lions In the Street. On Moving Along, the ferocious foursome lashes out with the intensity of their titular “king of the jungle” predator, pacing before feeding time at the zoo.
Life hasn’t been easy for the scrappy LITS. They have been through the record company/life grinder; missing or dismissing breaks for years (their bio alludes to them being blacklisted), quitting the music business for a decade-long jaunt in the garbage collecting industry, surviving cancer and multiple “almost deadly car accidents.”
Some of the bluesy roots rockers on this second full length, leavened with a handful of organic ballads, were recorded earlier but are now remixed, remastered and in some cases re-done. Regardless, with music this straightforward and vibrant, the word “timeless” certainly applies. Just like you can’t put a sell-by date on mid-70s Stones, Faces or Humble Pie, Lions In the Street’s retro strutting, boisterous blues-based attack, never seems old. Regardless of obvious influences, which also include Aerosmith and AC/DC, the scruffy two guitar/bass/drums outfit crafts solid, workmanlike, sometimes thrilling originals that can proudly stand alongside the work of the legendary bands they are clearly beholden to.
Frontman/singer/songwriter/guitarist Chris Kinnon leads his drummer brother Jeff, a bassist and second guitarist through their paces, pumping out dense, rhythmic chords to the “Chuck Berry by way of Johnny Thunders” (their words) and “Already Gone” with the raucous, frazzled energy and enthusiasm of players who act like they invented this stuff. To their credit, they don’t dismiss their conspicuous inspirations; rather Kinnon’s notes specifically, even proudly, mention them as he summarizes each selection in a few pithy sentences.
“Lady Blue”
References to artists such as Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac (the grinding “All for Your Love” seems gleaned from “The Green Manalishi”), Derek and the Dominos/Delaney & Bonnie (the leather tough soulful rollicking with nasty slide guitar of “Walking Back to You”) and Led Zeppelin (the bittersweet acoustic with edgy pedal-steel “Truer Now” is ascribed to Zep’s more rustic third album) abound. Kudos to him for embracing those icons, acknowledging their impact on his writing, and rejoicing in their music like the fans he, and we, are.
But rather than slavishly imitating these touchstones, he writes memorable songs with steely hooks, shrewd lyrics and taut choruses. The band chomps down and devours these songs with Mohammed Ali-styled “float like a butterfly/sting like a bee” aggressiveness.
Cue the opening title track for five minutes of the finest, most unpretentious rocking you’ll hear this year. The (uncredited) pounding piano that would bring a thumbs-up approval from Ian McLagan, plucky harmonica pumping out over Keef-styled guitars and gospel backing singers (also uncredited) combine for a spirited dose of swaggering, pumping, testosterone-fueled rawking. The six-minute closing “You’re Gonna Lose” gets struts with Jagger-styled machismo as Kinnon tosses us a teaser he describes as “James Gang… with an outro Albert King-inspired jam that will keep the Cream fans happy.”
All these aforementioned acts and more inject rugged life to this unvarnished, unpretentious set. If the songs from ‘Moving Along’ were included in a classic rock mix playlist, listeners ears would perk up asking “This sounds familiar. Who are these guys?”
With two additional albums scheduled for 2025 (a live and studio one), that query might soon be unnecessary.
Order the album Moving Along HERE
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