Marty And The Bad Punch – Walk A Straight Line

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MARTY AND THE BAD PUNCH is a band hailing from Munich, Germany, featuring guitarist/composer Martin Punch. Marty, to friends, is also a wholesale merchant by day, but his soul is filled with music; mostly focused around an old school classic rock sound. “Walk A Straight Line” is the second release from the five-piece group, and is set to release on February 21, 2020. It is a double album, checking in at a little over an hour long, and runs the gamut through several different influences and styles. It also features some really amazing guest spots, as mentioned below in the Lineup section.

With a fantastic organ intro, “Walk A Straight Line” opens the record, and has a feel not unlike “Bent Out of Shape,” later era RAINBOW. It soon fades, however, into an alt-country feeling song called “Glass Mountain.” The lyrical content on this one robbed me of a lot of interest, although, musically, it is a well-played piece.

The third track, “Universe,” is another solid rocker, and features an absolutely brilliant guitar solo from Frank Pane of BONFIRE. A good tune, all the way around. The other highlight of the album for me would be the guitar of Bruce Kulick, formerly of KISS and GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, on the otherwise unmemorable track “My Demons.” He plays a blistering solo.

The record, as a whole, is just not that memorable. The musicianship is fine, but the songcraft just feels a bit plastic and blasé. There are some good moments all the way around, so it may be worth a listen to some. I did not hate the album, but I didn’t really LOVE it, either. A double may not have been the way to go with this one.

Songwriting: 6
Musicianship: 8
Memorability: 5
Production: 8