Still Got That Hunger (2015)
Review by Mark Deming
While the 2011 album Breathe Out, Breathe In was cautiously billed as "The Zombies featuring Colin Blunstone & Rod Argent," four years later, this new edition of the group is confident enough to simply call themselves the Zombies, though with Jim Rodford from Rod's post-Zombies combo on bass, they could also bill themselves as Argent in a pinch. And with its bluesy swagger and big guitar figures, the opening cut on Still Got That Hunger, "Moving On," sounds significantly more like Argent than the band that cut "She's Not There" or "Time of the Season." The next tune, "Chasing the Past," is much closer to what most Zombies fans would probably hope for, with Argent's precise, imaginative piano work and Blunstone's vocals recalling the spirit of the Zombies' masterpiece Odessey & Oracle, and the group is clearly hoping to jog the memories of their old fans -- the cover art not only apes the look of the Odessey & Oracle sleeve, a figure in the painting is even holding a copy of the 1968 classic. Blunstone's voice is in fine shape on these sessions, Argent's keyboard skills remain impressive, and they can call forth shadows of their glory days on songs like "Beyond the Borderline" and "Little One." But the new version of "I Want You Back Again," though no embarrassment, sounds rather pale compared to the 1965 original, and the overweening nostalgia of "New York" is a reminder that sentimentality was never this group's strongest suit. Despite these flaws, the jazzy touches of "And We Were Young Again" and the polished rock & roll of "Maybe Tomorrow" show this version of the Zombies are capable of creating a sound of their own that's strong and engaging, and guitarist Tom Toomey and drummer Steve Rodford fill their roles with seasoned dexterity. The 21st century version of the Zombies are, not unexpectedly, a band with a different sound and feel than the '60s cult heroes, but Still Got That Hunger reminds us Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone still have the talent that made their names, and there are enough moments here where it shines through that fans will want to give this a thorough listen.
01. The Zombies - Moving On
02. The Zombies - Chasing the Past
03. The Zombies - Edge of the Rainbow
04. The Zombies - New York
05. The Zombies - I Want You Back Again (2015)
06. The Zombies - And We Were Young Again
07. The Zombies - Maybe Tomorrow
08. The Zombies - Now I Know I'll Never Get Over You
09. The Zombies - Little One
10. The Zombies - Beyond the Borderline
Different Game (2023) WEB
Review by Fred Thomas
The time frame in which the Zombies formed, created their best-known material, and initially broke up was roughly six years, burning bright from around 1962 until going into the recording of their 1968 masterpiece Odessey and Oracle knowing they were going to disband after it came out. Their second act has been considerably longer, with founding members Rod Argent and Colin Blunstone officially taking back up the Zombies mantle in the early 2000s and producing multiple albums of new material thereafter. Different Game is a snapshot of where the Zombies are at in 2023, ruminating on what in life changes and what stays the same as the seasons keep moving forward. A legacy act of the Zombies' caliber could simply rewrite their hits over and over, but they choose a different path here. While there are some beautiful moments of baroque pop, like the eerie strings and vocals that constitute "I Want to Fly" or the bittersweet balladry of "You Could Be My Love," the most ear-catching moments come in the songs that sound cut from a different cloth than the band's '60s material. While the album-opening title track is driven by a loud and emphatic "Whiter Shade of Pale"-evoking organ, the song has a more forceful presence than the fragile and haunted sound the group is best known for. The drums pop and the song amps up to an almost hard rock chorus heavy on guitars and slightly snarling backing vocals. This harder-edged sound shows up again on songs like "Merry-Go-Round" and the sauntering "Dropped Reeling & Stupid," a track whose cool electric piano and crunchy guitars sound like Steely Dan in a particularly aggressive mood. The band never stray completely from the sound they established decades ago but adapt it to new ideas, often returning to themes of progress. "Got to Move On" embodies this, trying on a bluesy style complete with honking distorted harmonica and a shuffling pace, yet does it in a Zombies style. The song reprises the overlapping piano and guitar noodling of the group's biggest hit "Time of the Season" but updates it with more-ferocious soloing. The album is split fairly evenly between tunes that branch out into relatively newer territory and those that stick closer to the band's signature sound of distantly beautiful pop. While it's admirable that they're not content to simply rehash older material, the riskier new material sometimes hits its mark and sometimes flops. The edgier tracks on Different Game will appeal to die-hard fans and those following the Zombies' entire journey, but they might register as confusing for casual listeners. As ever, all the surrounding details are reduced to afterthoughts whenever Blunstone sings. Regardless of the direction any particular song takes, his one-of-a-kind voice steals the show. After all these years, his ability to convey magnanimous emotions in the space of a gentle whisper is still what makes the Zombies so special.
01. The Zombies - Different Game
02. The Zombies - Dropped Reeling & Stupid
03. The Zombies - Rediscover
04. The Zombies - Runaway
05. The Zombies - You Could Be My Love
06. The Zombies - Merry-Go-Round
07. The Zombies - Love You While I Can
08. The Zombies - I Want to Fly
09. The Zombies - Got to Move On
10. The Zombies - The Sun Will Rise Again
No one else had a glimpse of Gary Brooker when listening to track № 1(Different Game ) ? Or is it just me...? 😃
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