Review: Bad Company Drummer Simon Kirke Simmers on ‘All Because of You’
The term “busman’s holiday” refers to a
vacation spent doing more or less the same thing you do to make a living. Simon
Kirke is best known as the drummer for two of England’s most venerable rock
outfits, Free and Bad Company, so All Because of You, his third
full-length solo LP, qualifies as an escape – with a catch: The hard-grooving
percussionist spends most of his time in front of the band, crooning into a
microphone while strumming a guitar or ukulele. Though he’s hung his hat in New
York City for years, Kirke shows an enviable rapport with bandmates Josh
Solomon, Erika Brett, Nate Bellon and Danny Rosenthal, members of polished yet
rootsy Chicago outfit Empty Pockets. Kirke’s likably scruffy voice and earnest
delivery ideally suit sentimental, easygoing songs that attest to clearing life’s
hurdles with the help of a higher power and a good woman’s love. Apart from “Trouble
Road,” brought to a boil by Gov’t Mule guitarist Warren Haynes, All
Because of You maintains a bubbly simmer throughout – even on a uke-driven
cover of the earthy Bad Company anthem “Feel Like Making Love” that
wouldn’t sound out of place on a Collective Soul LP.