Every rock fan knows Francis Rossi. He’s been a permanent part of the furniture on the rock scene for fifty years plus, responsible for some timeless rock classics with Status Quo, a band few would’ve wanted to follow onstage when the ‘Frantic Four’ were at their peak. If he isn’t a national treasure by now, then he damn well should be. His cutting off of his ponytail even made national news!
The Accidental finds Rossi still rocking away on an album which, he says, truly came out of nowhere. Just plugging in and making some serious noise, as he had no plans to record an album. But the music fell into place and record one he did, with bass and drums handled by Rhino Edwards and Leon Cave respectively. Rossi also had guitar assistance from Hiran Mayani and co-producer Andy Brook, with backing vocals from Amy Smith. The outcome is fourteen songs which veer towards country rock and Americana, a dabble in ZZ Top bluesy rock, but also including a number of tracks which are almost classic Quo.
As you would expect from Francis Rossi, there’s absolutely nothing complicated about the music on this album. There’s no pushing of any envelopes here or the taking of any musical risks. The musical and lyrical content are about as down to earth and basic as it gets, but this isn’t to imply it’s all unworthy. Rossi has built and sustained a lengthy career performing rocking tracks like ‘Go Man Go’, ‘Dead of Night’, ‘Something in the Air (Stormy Weather)’ and ‘Oh So Good’. ‘Beautiful World’, being in the ‘Roll Over Lay Down’ mode, is quite likely one of the best songs the Frantic Four never recorded. It’s a powerful slab of traditional Quo-style boogieing rock which helped build their reputation. Was it Rossi playing that guitar solo?
There’s some Americana-style country rock on opening track ‘Much Better’, and similarly on ‘Going Home’ and ‘Be My Love’. ‘Back on Our Home Ground’ sees the band venture into ZZ Top territory with some bluesy rock, before the album finishes on a poignant note with ‘Time to Remember’, a ballad with a swaying melody.
Hardcore fans of the Frantic Four probably won’t find too much to like here, but this album’s a very enjoyable sidestep from mainstream Quo, showing what a talented musician Rossi is. This is ‘back to basics’ Quo, and it works.
