{"id":25213,"date":"2024-09-03T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=25213"},"modified":"2024-09-02T21:34:50","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T21:34:50","slug":"tuk-smith-the-restless-hearts-rogue-to-redemption-gypsy-rose-records","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=25213","title":{"rendered":"Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts – \u2018Rogue To Redemption\u2019 (Gypsy Rose Records)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cI\u2019ve been trapped in the maze of the errors of my ways…now I am making up for the mistakes I have made\u201d. So sings Tuk Smith on the title track of his sophomore long player \u2018Rogue To Redemption\u2019. Here at RPM we love the underdog, the outcasts and the artists who fight to keep the dream alive. Former Biters frontman Tuk Smith is one such dude who has travelled the rocky road to rock n\u2019 roll damnation and he\u2019s been through the ringer with the music business. But lost deals, empty promises, broken dreams and even a global pandemic can’t stop the Georgia native from keepin\u2019 on, keepin\u2019 on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the killer 2022 release \u2018Ballad Of A Misspent Youth\u2019, Tuk and his band The Restless Hearts return with \u2018Rogue To Redemption\u2019, a 9-track affair (10 if you are a streamer, possibly more if you live in Japan). It’s a defiant \u201cfuck you!\u201d to the naysayers, and a glorious and triumphant trip through the annals of rock n\u2019 roll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The album opens with a killer one-two designed to fill stadiums. \u2018Take The Long Way\u2019 is an instant earworm with a rousing chorus that just makes you wanna reach for that volume button and blast it. \u2018The following \u2018Glorybound\u2019, as with the opener, just sounds like it has always been in my ears. As soon as that chorus hits, it’s like an old forgotten friend has returned and all is well in the world. It\u2019s a song of hope and dreams, a middle finger to the non-believers and a euphoric ride from the first beat to the last ringing chord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ok, so those two are previously released singles and I have already given them plenty or airplay, so there is familiarity. But third track \u2018End Of An Era\u2019 is brand new to my ears, yet those Thin Lizzy inspired twin leads, the sneering vocals and the instantly satisfying chorus just make me wanna punch my fist in the air and sing-a-long, that is proof enough that Tuk Smith is on a roll right now with his songwriting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me there is a lyrical suss that hits in the feels, that tells a story and transports you into the song in a way few modern day songwriters can. Up there with the likes of Butch Walker, Ginger Wildheart and Frank Turner for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 70\u2019s rock influences continue on \u2018Still A Dreamer\u2019. Not so much a nod to The Biters classic glam stomper \u2018Ain\u2019t No Dreamer\u2019, but more to Thin Lizzy with its pumping bass line, cool vocalisin\u2019 and use of space. One of those songs that gets better with every listen. There’s a lot of soul searching going on with this album and Side One closer \u2018Little Renegade\u2019 is autobiographical and from the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, \u2018Blood On The Stage\u2019 is the centerpiece of a very strong record. It builds on a simple, strummed acoustic progression, and an emotive lyric. There’s an Oasis swagger and a stadium-sized chorus that begs to be familiar to millions. The title track follows, another highlight that comes on like Butch Walker doing Thin Lizzy, it builds and builds to a powerful climax. It seems every song is a winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the second listen through of this album, closing song \u2018When The Party\u2019s Over\u2019 sent shivers up my spine on the buildup to the first chorus. That doesn’t happen very often, and is a good sign that we\u2019re onto something special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who was it that said \u201cDifficult roads lead to beautiful destinations\u201d? Well, difficult roads have certainly shaped the songs on \u2018Rogue To Redemption\u2019. For the first time, I feel the Nashville resident has not only matched, but surpassed the promise that his old band The Biters showed on their early EPs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s classic 70\u2019s rock influences, a fistful of power pop and a smattering of Brit Pop going on. With killer songwriting, great song dynamics and a top-notch production Tuk Smith has delivered the album of his career and I\u2019m pretty sure none of us saw that coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author: Ben Hughes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cI\u2019ve been trapped in the maze of the errors of my ways…now I am making up for the mistakes I have made\u201d. So sings Tuk Smith on the title track of his sophomore long player \u2018Rogue To Redemption\u2019. Here at RPM we love the underdog, the outcasts and the artists who fight to keep the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25214,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[1710,1681,1680,1701,1833,4254,2052],"class_list":["post-25213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","tag-rpm-online","tag-rpmnews1","tag-rpmonline","tag-tcb","tag-tourlife","tag-tuk-smith-the-restless-hearts","tag-vinyl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25215,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25213\/revisions\/25215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}