John Rehmel has invited his musician friends for a Southern Rock album : Gary Jeffries and his band and the group Otis from Kentucky, don't forget the English guitarist Chris Walker and Larry Velez from Texas. And the result is good!

First, we get the good rhythm song "Full Throttle Heart", a biker song in a Southern boogie way and a guitar solo just as Blackfoot. Same spirit on "Daisy" with a slide rhythm guitar and a break looking at Blackfoot's "Rattlesnake Rock n' Roller". Good moment on "Nothing to Hide" a Southern Country Blues song with a harmonica part and a slide guitar just like Dickey Betts.

We have here a nice and warm guitar on the beautiful Southern ballad "Destiny". Just note also "Little Miss Rock n' Roll" a Southern Rock song with a heavy solo. "Camouflage Man" looks like Blackfoot in the 90's with a great solo.

"Stormy Weather Blues" is a Southern Blues that bring us to the Allman territory for our pleasure, and we do enjoy "Outlaw in Me" too which is a slow song, and "Lone Wolf Blues" with its acid slide guitar. So we get a lot of slide guitar with Southern Thunder!

"Back Road Traveler", is a not really original Blues Rock song, but with a good guitar solo in the middle.

"Slow Movin' Man" is slow just as a Lynyrd Skynyrd song, with a slide guitar and an organ, has no solo, and that's pity! It's the same on "Living Proof", a song written for the school teacher who has saved children in the Newtown slaughter in December 2012. There are choirs and guitar arpeggios at the end, but the solo is missing! Always the same on "Bringin' the Bacon Home", a good heavy Rock n' Roll song, with very hot guitar parts, has no solo. That's pity!

Even if there are some mistakes on this record, the lack of guitar solos, the Southern Thunder Project offers us a good album. You need to listen to it when you are in a biker bar or on your bike.

Good old Southern Rock.

Olivier Aubry