Bill Leverty is guitarist for melodic rockers Firehouse, a band who have consistently released great albums over the years. Being in Firehouse has allowed Bill to tour the world alongside some of the biggest rock bands on the planet and as result play to literally millions of people. What many of those people may not be aware of is that Bill has got round to recording his first instrumental album entitled “Southern Exposure” and it has to be said it is a real melodic gem. Leverty himself handles all guitars, bass and keyboards on the CD with his Firehouse colleague Michael Foster providing drums. As well as being the provider of all the music and instrumentation Bill also produced, engineered and mixed the project.

The album opens with “Hang Six” a melodic rock workout of the finest order that instantly brought to mind Joe Satriani and Michael Lee Firkins. It had me thinking “ I wonder if those guys ever joined Boston if it would sound like this?” Next up is “Valley Of The Kings” which starts with some nice layered acoustic parts before morphing into some great rock guitar riddled with double stops and intervallic leaps of faith. On this track Bill's guitar truly “sings” and there are great rhythm guitar moments that, at one point, brought to mind the Scorpions (It’s brief but it’s there.)

“Billy’s Blue Jeans” has a cool intimate quality and has the listener feeling as if they are sitting in on a jam session. Leverty backs off the gain on his guitar and allows the notes to poke through. The only thing about the song that didn’t feel right was the keyboard that sounded a little basic, which somehow took something away from the music. “No Matter What” is again wonderfully melodic and the guitars have an almost conversational quality to them as the melodies go up and down and in and out. The soloing is tasty and very controlled and displays a player gifted with the talent of knowing exactly “how much is enough” to get the feel across.

“Southern Exposure” is a real cracker that has a great airy sense of freedom to the note selection. The music and playing brought to mind Steve Morse, in part due to its country hoe down flavour. There is also a great fun vibe going on which brought to mind the Dixie Dregs making the whole thing a joy to listen to. “How Many Ways” sees Bill showing his mellow side and his mastery of creating mood from melody. My love of the outdoors is well known here at HRH,  I’m up a mountain or a hill as often as time permits. With “How Many Ways” I had an instant vision of mist rising from the trees on an early morning followed by the sun breaking through. When music does this you know the artist can really work magic.

“Trick Baby” once more brought to mind the Dixie Dregs during one of their cheeky moments. It’s a simple arrangement but is kept on its toes with Leverty's very quirky and individual phrasing that fits the vibe perfectly. “Jumping Through Hoops” on the other hand sees Bill taking a simple rock riff and, with the aid of some cool phrases, bringing the whole thing to life. There is some very deftly executed speed picked segments that once more shows Leverty's excellent technical ability.

“A Day Of Hope” is a delicate and haunting piece with some chord changes that really moved this reviewer. The song did bring to mind another vision which I’ve decided to keep to myself as it’s just a little too personal to write about here, but it's definitely a song that will put the listener in a reflective mood. “Giddy Up” is a fine and spirited way to end the album. It’s up-tempo and lively and again has a real hoedown vibe to it. Hell it’s the end of the album and time to let your hair down and give it some guitar excess and for many it will be just what the doctor ordered.

“Southern Exposure” is a very tasty instrumental work out that shows a player who knows instinctively just what each song needs. Leverty's years of playing experience have obviously showed him the absolute paramount importance of melody in a composition and also that sometimes less is more. Without a doubt Southern Exposure is an album that one could slip on anytime and enjoy and is a must hear for guitar players and lovers of good music as there is something for everybody on this fine release.

Southern Exposure is available to buy direct from Bill Leverty's website @ www.leverty.com

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Track Listing

Hang Six
The Valley Of The Kings
Billy's Blue Jeans
No Matter What
Southern Exposure
How Many Ways
Trick Baby
Jumping Through Hoops
A Day Of Hope
Giddy Up

Line Up

Bill Leverty - Guitars/Bass/Keys
Michael Foster - Drums