Kim Simmonds and some form of the band Savoy Brown have been around pretty much since the beginning of time – or at least since the middle years of the British Invasion. In its original form, the band was comparable to the early Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac (before they became a Top 40 pop group), Cream and Ten Years After. But while most of their contemporaries have retired to rest homes (or whatever they’re called in England), Savoy Brown continues to cut records and to tour. The band was originally formed in 1966. Savoy Brown’s first album dates back to 1967, and album generally regarded as the band’s masterpiece, Blue Matter, a fusion of British blues rock and psychodelia, was released in 1969.  Simmonds recently celebrated his 64th birthday. Given the lifestyle some of the great British guitarists (Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Peter Green, etc.) adopted it is heartening for the rest of us to see them still kicking and kicking it.
On the band’s latest release, Voodoo Moon, it is evident they can still cook. Although the musical fare is somewhat predictable, the musicianship is top notch. From the first rollicking track, “Shockwaves,” to the soulful “Natural Man” and “Too Much Money,” to the Chicago-electric style blues numbers “Look at the Sun” and “24/7,” to the eerie title son, Simmonds’ skills on the guitar are evident. Voodoo Moon may not be the breakthrough creative achievement that Blue Matter was, but it is a solid achievement and quite easily explains how Savoy Brown can keep going year after year after year.
About the author: Bill Wilcox is a roots music enthusiast recently relocated from the Washington, DC area to Philadelphia, PA and back again.