antiMusic.com: Foghat - Under the Influence Review

Foghat - Under the Influence

by Kevin Wierzbicki

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Under the Influence is a pretty common album title --- everyone from Alan Jackson to Warrant have used it --- and the phrase is a cute double entendre that generally indicates that the album is a collection of cover songs. Foghat has used the title in a slightly different context here though, performing a set of mostly original material where the songs are played in the style of a group or performer that has influenced the band's overall sound over the years, along with a few covers. Rock scholars and those who've been following Foghat since the beginning will know that the band evolved out of Savoy Brown, and in a nice touch here the set list includes two Savoy Brown songs, "She's Got a Ring in His Nose" and the swinging "Made up My Mind." Even nicer, Savoy Brown founder Kim Simmonds plays guitar on the title track, a cut that he co-wrote and that is a fierce slice of blues-informed rock with a catchy chorus. The other covers are a take on "Heard it Through the Grapevine" and a new version of the band's own "Slow Ride." Among the original highlights are the AC/DC-like "Knock it Off," the Blackfoot-recalling southern rocker "Ghost" and "Heart Gone Cold" which rocks with a swagger worthy of the Rolling Stones. Other guest players on this very solid set include Dana Fuchs, Buddy Guy alumni Scott Holt and Tom Hambridge and former Foghat bass man Nick Jameson.