This is the second album from Tommy, following on from 2011’s ‘Unleash The Hounds’ which was put out as Tommygunn, which I presume is why we get the rather unusual ‘AKA Tommygunn’. Tommy contacted me directly on FaceBook, and he appears to be a really nice guy, and is certainly incredibly passionate about his music. The son of a professional musician he apparently is also a cousin to Rod Stewart, so he certainly has been brought up steeped in the scene. Based in Toronto, this is a very personal album, with one song written for his wife, another for his children, while his father, famed blues saxophonist Sonny Del Rio performs on a few of the numbers. There is even a song about Richard Newell (King Biscuit Boy), who his dad played with, and while his dad again performs on this number it was actually produced by none other than Eddie Kramer. This is a gorgeous blues number, quite different to the rest of the album.

Although Grasley wrote most of the songs, both music and lyrics, he does not contribute any instrumentation but instead concentrates on vocals. His vocals are distinctive, and his range is somewhat limited, but this album does have a special feeling to it, as there is no doubt he is incredibly passionate in what he does and this feels like he put his heart and soul into it. This is heartfelt rock and roll, grunty rock which one would expect to be played in clubs in the heartlands. There are times when it is quirky, times when it isn’t as polished as it might be, but listening to the lyrics no-one can doubt that Tommy is totally invested in everything he is singing.

Rating: 6/10

Links:
https://www.tommygrasley.com/