Jimmy Regal and The Royals 'Snap Back' album review: a roots album that never feels trapped by its roots.

There is something wonderfully unpolished about "Snap Back". Not unfinished or rough around the edges through accident, but deliberately so. Jimmy Regal and The Royals have made an album that feels rooted in the blues and R&B, yet refuses to sit comfortably in one particular corner of it.

The opening track, “Don’t Know Diddley”, immediately sets the tone. That unmistakable Bo Diddley rhythm drives the song along, while the smoky, grooving harmonica gives it a character of its own. It is blues, but there is already something else happening underneath it.

The title track “Snap Back” follows with more of that harmonica, and feels muscular despite its relatively minimal arrangement. There is almost a mono, 1960s quality to it, as though it has been pulled from some smoky basement recording rather than a modern studio. That earthy, slightly lo-fi character runs throughout the album, giving even the more adventurous moments a sense of history.

And that earthy quality is helped enormously by the drums and congas. The percussion is one of the album's real strengths, giving the songs an interesting rhythmic pulse while keeping everything firmly grounded. Even when the music wanders elsewhere, it never loses that rootsy feel.

“Shining Through on the 122” brings a touch of Cajun flavour, while “Disconnect” heads somewhere altogether different. The fiddle initially gives the track a bluegrass feel, but the percussion pulls it in another direction. There is an almost African rhythmic quality to it, creating one of the album's more unexpected turns. Joff's vocal takes on a different character here too, with moments that channel a little Donald Fagen, adding another layer to a track that already refuses to stay in one lane.

“Hold On Tight” offers another change of pace. There are shades of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and that old 1960s club-scene energy once again, but as it develops the percussion and horns push it somewhere much bigger. It feels like a band letting loose, building steadily towards a full-blown frenzy.

That is really what makes "Snap Back" interesting. Every track seems to have its own identity rather than being built around one overriding sound. There are blues-funk grooves, songs that open out into jams, and plenty of rhythmic twists and turns. Just when you think you've worked out where the album is heading, it changes direction.

Throughout it all, the guitars are surprisingly restrained. They don't dominate proceedings, and when they do appear they feel more like an extension of the melody than an excuse for someone to step forward and show off. The harmonica is much more central to the overall sound, while the drums, congas and other percussion keep the album moving.

Joff Watkins' voice fits the whole thing perfectly. It is as gritty and gravelly as his harmonica, giving the songs an unfiltered quality that works particularly well with the raw blues at the heart of the album.

What makes "Snap Back" work is that it doesn't necessarily have one completely cohesive sound. Each track stands on its own merits, and just when you think you've worked out where the album is heading, it changes direction. Normally that could make a record feel disjointed, but here it becomes part of the appeal.

There is a sense that Jimmy Regal and The Royals are less interested in reproducing the blues than in seeing where its history can take them. Bo Diddley, New Orleans, African rhythms, funk, bluegrass and Cajun flavours all make appearances, but the album never loses sight of where it started.

The result is a roots album that never feels trapped by its roots.

Official Website: https://www.jimmyregalandtheroyals.com/