It really boggles the mind why Hot Leg’s Red Light Fever never got an official release in the United States. This is probably one of my favorite albums of the year and from what I can tell, you can’t purchase the CD anywhere in the U.S. except as an import. WTF? The album is a great comeback effort by Justin Hawkins and the songs are pretty much an extension of what he was doing with his former group the Darkness. All the hard rockin’ elements from the Darkness are present here – crunchy guitar riffs, catchy hooks and Hawkins’ trademark falsetto. Thankfully fans outside the U.K. can at least purchase mp3 downloads from the band’s website. But it’s sad to see that the band never got the promotional backing they certainly deserve here in the States. According to their website, the band is planning on recording their second album and then releasing it in early 2010. Hopefully they’ll find a U.S. record label to back them this time around. Come on, this is *Man-Rock* at its finest!

RetroGrade: A

personal favorites off the album include: Trojan Guitar (fantastically epic!!), Whichever Way You Wanna Give It (reminds me of the Darkness’ “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” ), You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore and Ashamed (love Hawkins’ take on reality TV)

Artist: Hot Leg
Album: Red Light Fever
Released in the U.K.: February 2009
Label: Universal UK
official website: Team Hot Leg

TrackList:
1. Chickens
2. You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore
3. Ashamed
4. I’ve Met Jesus
5. Trojan Guitar
6. Cocktails
7. Gay In The 80s
8. Prima Donna
9. Whichever Way You Wanna Give It
10. Kissing In The Wind

Hot Leg:
Justin Hawkins – Vocals, Guitar
Pete Rinaldi – Guitar
Samuel SJ Stokes – Bass
Darby Todd – Drums

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