The prolific writer, singer, musician that is Gene Louis knocks out Volume #6 otherwise known as 'The Cocaine & Whisky Years'. This time he plays everything bar a solo here and there and manages to pen some of his best tunes to date by bringing all his previous projects together on one collection in a mighty fine mash up. 

With a more mature sound he's managed to harness the energy from the Brave Ones, Bullets And Octane and dished up the magical 13 for you peeps to download from iTunes (Grrrrrr). I guess in this day and age most record companies would pass up on someone with this much talent because Gene is way too cool and good at his craft, most suits wouldn't have a fucking clue but that's their loss and thank god for the digital download generation (I guess) otherwise these songs would be nigh on impossible to get your grubby mitts on.

Getting his groove on with 'Slipping Away' not only can this guy play the instruments with feeling but he knows how to turn the notes in his head into something that some fuckwits would spend tens of thousands of pounds not getting anywhere near  in expensive studios. 'Slipping Away' has elements of all his past work pasted into the dirty grooves as he proclaims he's a bad man. 'Paradise Place' again grooves like a mofo with a hypnotic run on the old geetar and it's even rock radio friendly in a way the Foo Fighters could have been if they had this kind of cred. 'Someone Like Me' introduces the acoustic but in a rock song that would have the likes of Gaslight Anthem wetting themselves to have written for them. The quality doesn't let up even if the pace does as on the brooding 'Let Me Out'. Gene gets laid back and reflective on 'Rest The Sun On Me' but after a brief intro we get the big strum on the porch before the drums kick in and walk this beauty home. 'Write This Down' is another hard rockin' bad ass chug that harks back to something that might have fitted on a Bullets album. 'Pretty Jane' has some mean acoustic intro before Gene goes all tub thumping on us with a brutal workout on the old kit with a mega chugging riff to boot. To bring the listener back down we get a Bowie-ish alternative acoustic rock song on  'Devin St. Sky'.

What you get on this collection is a bit of everything, lots of variety and some excellent songs all within the Gene Louis envelope. No there aren't any disco tracks or anything but if there was I'm sure they'd manage to sound quality - I just can't see Gene in leg warmers and sequined leotard. You get the heads down punk rock blast of 'This Is How I Know' as the perfect contrast to mellower 'Julie Ann', two totally different kind of songs but you can't have the rock without the roll and there is no darkness without the light, right? 
 

For someone so prolific, this being his 6th collection available on iTunes and definitely his most accomplished to date, it's worth a visit to the dark side that is iTunes to search out this album - you won't regret the purchase I can promise you that and if you do then what the fuck are you doing reading this because you are no friend of mine and the enemy of real quality music.

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