Lewis James - Rock n Roll Experiment

Lewis James

Rock n Roll Experiment
self-released; 2014

3.3 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Lewis James is a solo indie rock musician based in Manchester, UK, who recently released Rock n Roll Experiment. The songs here don’t feel derived from one particular era or niche. It just kinds of sounds like rock music. Musically, they revolve around a typical rock format of bass, drums and guitar. The songs are basic but for the most part effective. 

The production is average but could use some improvements. Overall, the mixes sounded a bit narrow and there wasn't a lot of separation at times. Some songs sounded better than others but there were times where the lead guitar sounded too buried.

The songs on this album blend together and there weren’t many clear highlights. It ends up feeling like one long song partially because James utilizes virtually the same guitar sound in every song, the dynamics are basically at one constant level and there is no variety when it comes to instrumentation. This is a double-edged sword if you ask me. It is nice to have an album that is consistent but at the same time it gets a bit boring and stale half-way through.

“Spoilin’ The Mix” sounds like a mix between Spin Doctors and Local H. A distorted guitar plays simple but effective chords while James sings over the progression. “Fight” has a couple of noteworthy melodies while “Hometime” is a little bit of deviation as it lacks drums.

James does have a good voice. Which is arguably the most appealing aspect of the music. His guitar playing and creativity on the guitar is sometimes impressive but not mind-blowing. Here’s the deal - if you listen to one track from Rock n Roll Experiment and dig it I would highly recommend just buying the album because a lot of the material sounds similar. 

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