The Cosmic Trip Advisors - Wrong Again, Albert... (Full Album) ‘Wrong Again, Albert…’ is the quirkily titled debut record from West Lothian, Scotland 6-piece The Cosmic Trip Advisors. Speaking of quirky, the band all have similarly off-beat names: Lesbomb (vocals), El Cap (guitars), Tattie (guitars), The P-Man (keys), Mr Herringbone (bass), Pete The Beat (drums). The opening track immediately proves both robust and enticing. Oh My My My! batters in with some bonesaw-guitar riffage and thumping bass & drums. The sound is fleshed out by smooth organ sounds and the scene is set nicely for vocalist Lesbomb’s entrance – and what a voice she has! Reminiscent of New York Queen Of Rock & Roll Sari Schorr in her grit and range – with a touch of Joanne Shaw Taylor’s smoky tones in there as well – she owns the track with a forceful performance. The song is catchy and propulsive and provides a great rocking intro to the album.
There’s tremendous variation in style (acoustic blues, aching ballads and no shortage of crunchy rockers abound) while maintaining a high standard of songwriting. Lonely Since I Met Ya is a dynamic slow blues that opens with dusty, western-sounding guitar and a soulful vocal. The track builds gradually, maintaining atmosphere but getting ever more hard-hitting as it builds to a tone-drenched guitar solo. Next up Had To Have It manages to conjure a more effortlessly sexy vibe than the preceding Sleazy Does It with a great opening line ‘I saw it and I had to have it, just another dirty habit.’ Particularly cool are the changes in pace which happen throughout, always keeping you on your toes.
With the lead vocals continuing to astonish, the band’s secret weapon is quickly revealed as the keyboard work of The P-Man. While both guitarists and the rhythm section all deliver great work throughout, The P-Man is the wild card and he brings something to the band’s sound that few groups have these days. I’ve Got It Going On is the most psychedelic cut on the album, and here he very much leads the line with a sound like The Doors Ray Manzarek, but elsewhere he brings in that cool Hammond organ sound which really adds something to every song in the way that King King’s music stands out thanks to their own Hammond organ specialist.
As the album moves into it’s final stages everything comes together in the expansive, heartfelt Bottle In Me. Beginning with a delicate guitar figure a few steps removed from Wish You Were Here it soon opens out into a widescreen chorus. The vocal performance is superb and the searching, yearning guitar solo is a perfect cap. The album finishes with Tongue Tied – an atmospheric opening suddenly torn asunder by that buzzing guitar allowing the frontwoman to ascend vocal heights once more, while El Cap, Tattie and The P-Man all get chances to shine on their respective instruments. Unusual band name, unusual bandmember names, strong album artwork and eleven catchy tracks brewed from a slick mix of blues, rock and psychedelia with some standout instrumental performances and a real star turn from the lead vocalist.
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