Guitarist and multi instrumentalist Chris Wilson, the ex-singer of the best-remembered line-up of San Francisco's cult band The Flamin' Groovies, is back with a solo album, his first for more than a decade. He’s not been idle in the intervening years - he’s continued to work with London’s own cult 60s revivalists, The Barracudas - but this is Chris back out under his own name again. And about time, too, if Second Life is any indication of what’s been brewing.

Anyone familiar with the Groovies and Barracudas will know what to expect from Second Life - chiming 12-string guitars, a pinch of rock ‘n’ roll, a hint of folk and a large helping of British Invasion gusto. These elements are all once again present [and correct] but there’s a slightly different balance to, say, the Groovies’ Shake Some Action or the Barracudas’ Meantime albums. This has helped keep the formula fresh while also maintaining its immediacy. Let’s just say that old fans won’t be disappointed.

Of the 12 tracks the standouts are opener 'All the Action' - a thumping slice of guitar hooks and big drums - 'Shake that Feeling' - driving 12 string guitars - and 'Under the Power Lines' - a ‘lost’ ’66 Dylan number in every respect bar one, authorship. Quieter moments are provided by Chris’s ballad 'Never Love Again', while the saxophone on 'Sweet Deceit' adds a 'Baker Street' feel to one of the album’s more heartfelt numbers.

Special mention must go to Chris’s band, The Shameless Pickups. The keyboards of Andy Thomas really make some of the songs come alive, especially his Hammond work on 'Set Free', while guitarist and bass player Anthony Clark anchors things down with a solid groove and the odd fancy lick. Drum duties were shared by Andy Woodard and Greg Paulett, both masters of the big beat and both first class players - check out 'Blaze Away' for some driving drumming as proof.

The producer was Dick Coppen [ex of Tenpole Tudor and King Kurt] who clearly knows a thing or two about getting things sounding right - each song on Second Life crackles with vitality and warmth, which really helps make the 12 tracks work as a unified whole.

Second Life isn’t going to change the musical landscape - there’s no revolution here - but the album delivers in more lasting ways. By eschewing fads and fashions in favour of time-honoured rock and roll formulas Chris Wilson has delivered a great album of classic proportions. This one’s a keeper...

For more details visit: www.flamin-groovy.com

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Pete Boomer