Rob Tognoni – Rebel
MIG Music – 2023
17 tracks; 76 minutes
Rejoicing in his nickname ‘The Tasmanian Devil’, Rob Tognoni is a blues-rocker from Tasmania, Australia, who spends time every year touring across Europe where he has built up a considerable following. He has a reputation for delivering blistering shows and will be branching out this Fall by joining forces with three European musicians with strong reputations – Ian Siegal, drummer Mike Hellier and bassist Roger Inniss, to form a supergroup that will (inevitably) be called The S.H.I.T! Meanwhile we have this album, released earlier this year and chock full of strong riffs and tunes. The material is mainly original, with a few choice covers including Bowie, Thin Lizzy and Alvin Lee. No information on the other musicians involved was provided, but it sounds as if it is a power trio on most tracks.
Rough guitar and Rob’s gruff vocals introduce “Rebel And A Gamble” which is something of a template for the rockers here, “Eyes Wide Open” chugging along before Rob uses the wah pedal for his solo section while “Primeval Baby (Tribal)” is a third rocker on the bounce, a suggestion of Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” in the intro. Rob changes the pace with the traditional “Whiskey In The Jar” with some good twin guitar work (presumably Rob overdubbing two guitars). A little heavier than Thin Lizzy’s cover in the 1970’s, this is nevertheless a solid version.
Six originals follow: more jagged riffs on “Move Along” and “Here To Stay” but “Little Things” offers a more melodic approach as Rob sings of there always being “a mountain to climb”, but it’s those little things that make life worthwhile. “A Mystery Man” has the sort of guitar riff so beloved in the 70’s, the whole tune sounding like it could have come from the likes of Mott The Hoople back in the day. “Orion” brings some acoustic guitar and keys to the album for the first time, giving the song a folky feel, before the enigmatic title “Weed”, which turns out to be a short instrumental, complete with a few more Zeppelin references.
A thumping cover of Bowie’s “Rebel, Rebel” is played with relish and clearly gives the album its title while “Victim Of Circumstance” finds Rob tearing up the fret-board with a really heavy riff at the core of the song, over which he shreds impressively. We then get two live recordings: “Lands Of Cirrus” is an original, a jagged rocker with a grungy solo; “Lil’ Melody” is a tune by the late Alvin Lee, of Ten Years After fame. “2050” is another riff-driven rocker with some swirling effects, an instrumental with keyboards in the mix. The final two tracks are both covers, from relatively unusual sources: “Assholes And Opinions” is from US band Orphan Jon & The Abandoned ( a former Blues Blast nominee) and rocks along well, keyboards definitely on this one, and it benefits from a catchy chorus too; “Life” is from Johnnie Williamson, a Brit who performs with Animals & Friends and a CCR tribute band, amongst other projects; the guitar rings out on this one, a road song about “the highway of life”.
Fans of blues-rock and strong guitar riffs will love this well-filled album; those who are not such devotees may find themselves reaching for the headache pills before this one is over.
