Supagroup - Supagroup
Foodchain Records
Supagroup web site
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Rock and roll tries to ruin my life on a daily basis too, but that’s only because I have to write about chickenheads like Simple Plan and Good Charlotte. The kind of rock and roll Supagroup frontman and guitarista Chris Lee is bemoaning on the opening track of this album is the three-chord, no-bullshit kind that makes decent young guys like he and his brother Benji grind out full-bore AC/DC -style riffs 24-7 for the slavering, top-popping masses in their native New Orleans. It can be a bitch to serve that particular master, no question (all the rock whores and payment in beer can wear a brother down), but the Lees shoulder the yoke of being a slave to the grind pretty masterfully on this record—cuts like “Bats Out the Belfry” “Back By Popular Demand,” “I Need a Drink” and the Alice Cooper-ish “Cat Soup” deliver the cock rock goods with an enthusiasm and the most genuine sense of rockstar showmanship since the Supersuckers. Chris Lee has the seen-it-all road dog vocals down pat, and there isn’t a fretboard trick that Benji doesn’t chase down with the wild-eyed vigor of the Night Rider from Mad Max; rhythm section Leif (Leif! The man’s name is Leif—do you need more proof of their commitment to ‘70s and ‘80s-era man rock?) Robinson Swift and Michael Brueggen lay down a blacktop-strong foundation and grunt the choruses with Cliff- and Malcolm-strength single-mindedness. The production might be a little too clean for hardcore rawkists, but if you don’t need to smell the spilled beer and sweat and feel the broken glass on the recording booth floor under your feet when you hear a record, Supagroup has it all night long.

—Paul Gaita
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