Influenced by the likes of John Mayer, Aretha Franklin, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin and Tedeschi Trucks, we have already described the incredible UK double-female-fronted, blues-rock ‘n’ soul outfit BRAVE RIVAL as a: “multidimensional experience: a tumble into incredible-ness…”
So we’re pleased to bring news of their debut studio album release, titled “Life’s Machine” due May 6th 2022 and the first single from the disc, “Guilty Love” due February 11th (video shared below)
The album was recorded at Rupert Peters’ Mayfair Studio in Churt, near Farnham, in Surrey, UK (Billy Walton band, Fuzzwalker). The band enlisted the talents of up-and-comng producer & engineer Tarrant Shepherd (Andromedous / Hollow Crown).
The dynamo locomotion of the vocals is, of course, juggernaut…
Raw Ramp Music Magazine
Since the recordings were disrupted by Covid, the project took a little longer to complete than the band had envisaged: “We didn’t want to just give up and hide away,” explained co-lead vocalist Chloe Josephine. “We wanted to keep the momentum going and keep ourselves from going crazy whilst stuck at home.”
“We would have regular Zoom calls as a band to work on song ideas. Our guitarist, Ed, came up with a guitar riff that he would record at home, then our bassist, Billy Dedman, or our drummer, Donna Peters, would record their parts at home and the song would grow organically.”
For this debut, Brave Rival collaborated with some equally remarkable musicians: on Hammond organ & keyboards, they brought in the amazing Jonny Henderson (Ian Siegal, Matt Schofield, Elles Bailey) for three tracks.
And they created a choir of soul and gospel singers (whose parts were recorded at St Mary’s Church, Portsmouth) for the title track, Life’s Machine: “The sustain and natural reverb in the church was insane. I had goose bumps whilst watching them sing,” recalls Brave Rivals drummer Donna Peters, “After hearing the songs with the choir mixed in, I started tearing up! It made the songs so beautiful.”
“Guilty Love” is essentially jaunty even though it articulates remorse & compunction in every yelled heartbeat. The dynamo locomotion of the vocals is, of course, juggernaut… but the slick dapper rhythms, concise bass notes, and energetic guitar work adds incredible power ‘n’ punch to this great number.
We’re also pleased to see the band were nominated for “Best Emerging Blues Artist Of The Year” at the UK Blues Awards 2022.
If you haven’t voted yet, cast here:
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/2022UKBluesAwards/
Pre-order the album here: https://braverival.com/music/
Photos: © Rob Blackham