The joy of music is that it comes in so many shapes and forms. The album I reviewed before Sam Millar’s debut solo record More Cheese Please was a million miles away from his style. But they both touched a nerve, both held my interest, and both engaged my respect for the artists involved. Music is truly an art form that makes you feel like nothing else.
Sam Millar is likely to be known to you from his time with Wigan’s Bigfoot, who looked destined for great things around a decade ago with a brand of classic rock that held wide appeal. Indeed, their album charted in the UK top 40 in 2017. Following their demise in 2019, Millar went out on his own, with his band the Sass Bandits performing in recent times at many of the smaller festivals that the UK has seen mushroom. Now the guitarist, vocalist and songwriter brings his debut record to our attention. And it’s a bit good.
Millar’s formula is based on rich melodies, catchy hooks, and an eighties melodic rock flavour underpinned with some searing guitar work. His voice is rich, sweet, and compelling. If you like the AOR monsters of four decades ago, then his crafted music should be of interest to you. Over 11 songs and 45 minutes, Millar provides a heartfelt, at times almost poppy style that is pleasing from opener “The Killing Floor” to closing song “Meet Me Halfway”.
His songs are indeed cheesy, hence the title of the album. Plenty of harmonies and saccharine-coated lyrics are likely to get those who like their rock on the lighter side dancing along. “Something I Regret” for example, is something that is as likely to be played in a spin bike class or a gym as it is in a rock club. It’s highly polished, with an excellent production, and aimed at the lighter end of the rock world.
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Millar certainly knows how to write a catchy song, and he provides plenty of infectious earworms that stick inside the head for eons. Listen to “Chardonnay” and “showbiz”, cleverly positioned in the middle of the album, and try and stop your foot tapping along. It’s futile. Whilst the songs follow a traditional pattern, there is a cleverness in the construction that makes them shine. The use of brass, the big band sound, and the overall cleanness of the songs makes More Cheese Please such a listenable release. It’s a good time record, written with the intention of bringing a smile to the face. And whilst its most definitely rooted in those US giants of the eighties, Millar brings a contemporary feel which works well.
It may be different to the crushing death metal that often takes priority on my playlists, but in a world with many competing interests, I’m happy to find space for Millar alongside those heavyweight behemoths.
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More Cheese Please is out on September 1st
Check out all the bands we review in 2023 on our Spotify and YouTube playlists!
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https://youtu.be/eRULaBeG6u0?si=CYuw0Ob55mPxXBat
