SUPAGROUP – Fire For Hire

Supagroup is a four piece band that hails from New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally, the band was formed in Anchorage, Alaska somewhere in the 90s by the Lee Chinese half-brothers (no they are not distant relatives to Bruce Lee) during their student years. Their first discographic attempt was the homonymous album that saw the light of the day in 2003. The positive reviews on their debut release gave them the chance to get on the road with bands like Queens Of The Stone Age and Fu Manchu, where they spread their music gaining additional publicity points.

Fire For Hire is the band’s latest effort and opens with “What’s Your Problem Now?” with the following lyrics:
“We’re Supagroup from New Orleans, Louisiana and we’re here to kick your ass”
and followed by an up-tempo Rock ‘n’ Roll rhythm guitar groove. The song itself is a straightforward Rocker with crunchy guitars and vocals that will point towards the legendary Bon Scott (R.I.P. 20/02/80) (you know the band). Actually, the whole band sounds like AC/DC, creating music that is perfect for drinking beers in neon-lighted bars surrounded by beautiful women. Indeed, Supagroup manage to capture something from the 70s and 80s Hard Rock attitude with distinct influences like those found in the mid-tempo “Jailbait,” the fast-paced “Born In Exile” or the catchy “Fire For Hire” that brings along almost addictive sing-a-long chorus lines. The lyrics are simple and cover the “classic” Rock ‘n’ Roll themes like women, booze, and breaking the law.

Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden and Aerosmith) has done an excellent job in production giving the band the exact fitting and “dirty” finishing touch, especially in the vintage-sounding guitars. In the album highlights, there are “Roll In Smokin’” that can be easily characterized as an almost cover on AC/DC’s “Let There Be Rock,” the really cool “Promised Land” that slowly builds the tension and the groovy “Bow Down” that has something from Kiss’ on stage seductive attitude.

Clearly Supagroup have managed with Fire For Hire to make some heads and ears turn towards them despite the fact that they come with absolutely nothing new or original. These guys have already cleared out their intentions to play like AC/DC during the Bon Scott-era, focusing on Rock ‘n’ Roll, so no hard feelings should be kept for them.