The Royal Beggars – Falling To New Heights 2023

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Swedish rockers THE ROYAL BEGGARS have built up quite a reputation as purveyors of life-through-the-bottom-of-a-beer-glass musings over the course of three EPs, and now they are here with their first full length effort, the excellently-named ”Falling To New Heights” released today. And very nice it is too.

‘Ain’t That Pretty’, a tear-jerking duet with fellow Swede Maja Van Hogerlinden Olausson, is a gorgeous piece of work, drawing on inspirations like Hanoi Rocks and the Dogs D’Amour (with maybe a bit of Frankie Miller thrown in for good measure). However, that’s not to say that their most straightforward settings aren’t very appealing; singalongs like ‘Hellbound’ also have their place, if only to remind us what a fine lead guitarist Jonas Heimdal is.
But it’s the more bluesy-tinged tracks that pack the most punch and offer the best point of difference in a musical arena that has many pretenders but no real Kings. And these beggars are royal, right?

‘Villains N’ Thieves’ is probably the best of the rockin’ track, a low slung n’ brooding piece of storytelling that finds vocalist David Roobert in fine form as a drunken desperado struggling to make sense of where he’s ended up in life. It’s dramatic, packed with pathos and rounded out with that little bit o’heroic maudlin that makes these things so appealing – And you’re gonna love it to the very last drop of Heimdal’s heroic closing solo, I promise.

”Falling To New Heights” is one of those albums that’s going to find it’s way onto your device of choice as you load up on pre-drinks, squeezed into your pleather strides as you contemplate a Friday night out on the tiles – and quite frankly I can’t think of a more perfect accompaniment to such activities.
These guys are masters of their craft, and should be celebrated joyously – possibly in the form of loud and repeated toasting – and thanked for coming up with such a glorious slab of raucosity.
Highly Recommended

01 - Unholy Roller
02 - Sun Goes Down
03 - Fallin' From Grace
04 - Ain't That Pretty
05 - Hellbound
06 - Villains N' Thieves
07 - Why Don't You Want Me Too
08 - Determined On Self Termination
09 - Wasting My Time Away
10 - Blood And Whiskey

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