Mike Clark & the Sugar Sounds - Moon Rock (2022)

American singer-songwriter Mike Clark has released his sophomore album Moon Rock, nearly a decade after his debut full-length Round and Round. He may be influenced by the great R&B artists of the past, but he brings his mixture of funky soul and bluesy rock ‘n’ roll to the present like no other. He wrote, recorded, and produced the ten new songs here, and was also responsible for lead vocals, guitar, bass, synths, and strings. Yet this isn’t a solo album, because the contributions of Ben Gallagher (keys), Robin Chestnut (drums), and Gordon Lewis (saxophone, flute) make it a real band effort. Don’t be distracted by the imagery and 70’s psychedelic / 80’s funk bombast of the title track with which the LP opens (this isn’t a concept album with spacey sounds!), because what follows is warm soul blended with Black Keys-esque blues rock, but more subtle and more sensitive. Give this record a few spins and chances are you’ll love it to the moon and back.