Bongo Boy Rock n Roll TV Show Episode 10, Season 11 – “Living The Time” (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

The Bongo Boy Rock n Roll TV Show is one of those great, labour-saving devices that are the hallmark of the modern age. We use electric can openers and home delivery services to cut down on effort in the kitchen. We have central heating and air conditioning to regulate our comfort at home. We have car washes and power steering to keep our cars clean and easy to drive. So, when it comes to shortlisting the best music around, giving the discerning music fan the heads up on the most interesting, exciting and exceptional tunes and videos doing the rounds, you have Bongo Boy Rock n Roll TV Show. It makes you wonder how we ever got by without it.

The Bongo Boy Rock n Roll TV Show has been on National TV in prime time on terrestrial TV channels for over a decade. Each carefully selected episode brings a wealth of new music from every genre and scene imaginable. Since airing on 6th December, this show has been in heavy rotation Nationwide on 72+ TV channels in the USA.

A complete guide can be found at bongoboytv.com and if you want to be considered for a slot on the show, contact submit@bongoboyrecords.com.

The New Bardots, a band who regularly make the cut, kick things off with Corporation Businessman, a neat slice of groovesome rock and roll which, as the name suggests, sticks it to the (corporation business)man. A blend of old-school vibes, rhythm, and blues polished up for a new audience, it’s a song that proves two things. Firstly, is it a song that proves the adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” that is, rock and roll has pretty much found its perfect form, so you don’t have to change the template too much, we already know that it works. Secondly, rock and roll and the corporate world of work and responsibility don’t mix unless the former takes a swipe at the latter.

Wildflower, by Renaissance Heart, offers a real change of pace, a gentle, acoustic, folk-infused ballad forged from chiming guitars and crystalline vocals. It is a timeless song, one that could exist at any time from the sixties folk revival to the present day. It is lulling, lilting and utterly lovely.

Olya K understands the power of combining the authenticity of country music, pop accessibility and a bit of rock swagger, and Waking Up In Nashville is the result. It may bristle with the twang and twirl of the Grand Ole Opry, but it stays perfectly in tune with broader tastes through its accessibility and groove. Country music that is aimed just as much at the dyed-in-wool aficionados as it is at pop-pickers and rockers alike. Well played!

Australia’s Studeo is also no stranger to the Bongo Boy TV show, and Find Your Destiny shows precisely why they are such firm favourites with the show’s followers and fans. Their ability to move from the balladic to the epic, tug at heartstrings whilst lifting the roof, and make music that is both subtle and intimate and stadium-ready and expansive is rare. Here, they raise even their own well-established benchmarks for poise and power, grace and groove.

The New Bardots return with another track from their album Singles Night; this time, the low-slung funky groove of On Our Own allows them to display their trademark squalling guitars and boogie-some moves, staccato musical kicks and wonderfully sleazy vibes. They also have the honour of playing the show with a rocked-up version of Paul McCartney’s White Album oddity, Why Don’t We Do It In The Road.

Between those two offerings, Renaissance Heart contrasts with One More Tomorrow, a song about living for the day presented in a jazz-folk style, wonderfully nostalgic, as if reminding us of the great days of sixties chamber pop and doing so brilliantly.

And that’s the show. Brilliantly done, as always, with a host of incredible music by great artists, fantastic music and their perfect visual accompaniment. It’s what Bongo Boy TV Show is all about. It’s not only what they do; it’s what they do better than everyone else.