Album Review of
Hope Dies Last

Written by Duane Verh
June 26, 2021 - 8:01pm EDT
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Manx Marriner Mainline and MonkeyJunk collaborator Steve Marriner shows equal ease with muscle-rock and ballad fare on this solo effort, bringing a strong presence to each of a solid group of tracks conveying varied moods.  The leadoff rocker, “Take Me To The City”, and the bluesy follow-up, “Honey Bee”, are likely airplay candidates and the closing ballad “Long Way Down” is attention-worthy as well.  The second-line rhythm of the instrumental “Uptown Lockdown” evokes the sounds of the legendary NOLA band The Meters and is worth inspection too.