If you want your Neo ‘wild, fast and swinging’, look no further than the Gary Hiland Trio’s latest release. Plus, by checking out ‘Catch Me’ now, you’ll be able to say that you were a fan before they wow the crowds at this year’s ‘Screamin’ in Spain.

Think a smoother take on The Blue Cats sound, albeit with a soulful, plaintive edge, and you’re halfway to imagining ‘Devil In High-Heels’, a twanging take on the Evil Rockin’ Woman trope. The trio bring out their dark side on the title track, complete with wild solos and lonesome vocals from the man himself. Love and loss preoccupy this record, from the optimistic heartbreak of ‘Tomorrow’ to the slinky ‘Make With The Lovin’, but whether you’re feeling the romance or not, there’s such a danceable beat to every track that you’ll be forgetting your sorrows in seconds.

Optimistic, chiming and chock full of the timeless Gretsch sound, ‘Catch Me’ is an album to return to again and again. If you’re feeling blue, ‘Shame’ is the perfect song for the lovelorn before we’re swept into the tale of strangers in the night that is ‘I Don’t Mind’. It’s striking how they’ve captured what must be a spectacular live sound on this album, especially on the country-tinged ‘Gipsy Woman’, and only whets our appetites for what is bound to be a fabulous show in Spain this summer.

Kate Allvey

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