aaamusic | On 28, Oct 2012

Huey and the New Yorkers is the new moniker for Fun Loving Criminals frontman and BBC radio DJ Huey Morgan, and ‘Say It To My Face’ is the new album from this solo project.

Intentionally more mature than the output of FLC, ‘Say It To My Face’ is a collection of relaxed blues rock compositions, each song sprinkled with a little something from another genre – there is a bit of funk rock on ‘Dirty Bird’, a bit of ska on the opening title track, a bit (or a lot) of country on ‘Fall Into Me’, and a bit of soulful RnB on closer ‘The White Guard’. The highlights are the lively hook of ‘Let Me People Go’ and the funk of ‘It’s Alright’, as well as the aforementioned album closer.

Huey’s vocals are dependably strong throughout this album – warm and gravelly, his voice is, as always, absorbingly sensual, and he sounds confident and content in any genre he picks. A decent and eclectic mix of solo compositions, yet a lack of really memorable vocals melodies means the album falls slightly short of his best work.

★★★★★

Clive Rozario