Fusing many rock styles together, Shane Knight has toured and performed with a variety of artists. Bad as They Come is an album that Knight recorded and released in 2009, and I recently got to hear it for the first time, having been unaware of its existence until now. But hey, better late than never, right?
Albums like this are always an interesting prospect, since I never quite know what to expect. I only recently got this album from Shane Knight himself, and was eager to give it a listen. After giving the release a chance, I was pleasantly surprised with what I heard; there is a great variety of music on here, ranging from fantastic original tunes to entertaining covers.
It is tough to find an artist to compare Shane Knight to, because this album covers so much ground in its brief but brilliant duration. The artist I could probably make the most accurate comparison to is Billy Idol, but even then, Mr. Knight takes this material and truly makes it his own, be it a cover or one of the original songs. From more modern, alternative-style sounds to stuff that is truly retro with a punky 80s vibe, it is a great album, and a lot of fun to listen to. The covers of “Seven and Seven is” and “Hungry” are some of the real surprises on here, doing justice to the originals but also reinventing the songs enough that they do not come off feeling like rehashes. At times the album is more subtle, but at others it is delightfully over the top. Bad as They Come is a lot of things, but boring is not one of them.
This 2009 release from Shane Knight is worth discovering or rediscovering; with a solid mix of styles and great musicianship, every rock and roll fan is bound to find something to love about this release. A highly recommended effort!