Mother Superior are not a new name for sure. Henry Rollins contributed decisively in making their name grow within the music-biz, despite the Californian band’s been around for long time (the debut “The Heavy Soul Experience of Mother Superior” dates back to 1996). Terminated the movimented cooperation like Rollins Band with the live “The Only Way to Know for Sure”, the Los Angeles trio restarted working on their own. The new album “13 Violets”, has little in common with their previous experience, if not for the fact to be supported by a strong guitar sound, that in the lightest moments recalls the typical seventies tradition (Led Zeppelin, The Who, Thin Lizzy, Free, Lynyrd Skynyrd). Mother Superior succeed to worthy mix the procurer melodic and instinctive aggressive tendencies of rock with all the declinations of the tradition can be: southern (“Head Hanging Low”), rhythms and blues (“Fuel the Fire”), soul (“Everything Is Alright”) to stoner (“Five Stars”) and punk (“Did You See It?”). Nothing innovative, clearly, but maximum cleverness and attitude, the one matured in years of experience and made interesting and stimulating really by the continuous bouncing of influences. All dressed up according to the canons of classic rock-albums, in which every song has its own identity, enriched by an extrovert and never exhibitionistic vivacity of arrangements. Indeed if sometimes the band becomes lazy, becoming flat in the repetition of too evident references, the arrangements (thanks to a very wide range of used instruments) and the bright production of Wayne Kramer, contrarily, always find new energy and continuously regenerate in the search for catchy effective solutions. The risk the album runs is maybe the one to result mannered or, at times, uselessly elaborated, but almost always succeeds in translating the alternance of different ways and perspectives to play rock. A simple album for a genuine true band. And genuinely rock, warmly seventies, this album can only be suggested to everyone.

Flavio Ignelzi