It’s Sal good with the great Cat…
Sal are a four piece female fronted band from Cardiff mixing the pop/rock feel of an American college band that could be on the soundtrack of any teen film, to the catchy and hard rocking female rock/pop of some of the best female solo artists. “People tend to dismiss female-fronted rock bands,” states Cat, the female-front to the band Sal. “We’re gonna make them eat their words!”
‘Infatuation’ is a great EP that was produced by ACE, the former guitarist and founder member of Skunk Anansie, and have worked extensively with producer Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia, INME) to create an easily accessible blast of happy rock. First song, ‘In Love’ is a slice of pop/rock in the vein of a more ballsy Avril Lavigne, whereas ‘Make It On Her Own’ is one of those power ballads that could be by someone like Kelly Clarkson, or Ashley Simpson, and that’s not a bad thing. Cat has a strong voice that is as comfortable when singing tenderly, as when she is belting out lung expanding vocals.
Musically, ‘September’ is another middle-of-the-road pop/rock masterpiece, that has Sal, once again teetering on the edge of hard rock as much as pop, with an underlining hint of Shania Twain-esque country-pop. ‘Goodbye’ is the best song on here with a chugging guitar riffs, pounding drum beats and strong vocals, leading us to another mid-tempo number with melodic guitars and a nice guitar beat that once again you could imagine being in the soundtrack of a movie. This is Sal’s strong point, and sums the band up well. They are masters of the mid-tempo song with great hooks and melodies.
Sal have shared the stage with many top bands including Reef, Skindred, The Crocketts, Dodgy, The Datsuns, Bad Manners and even metal legends Saxon, and as good as they are, I get the feeling that Sal will be one of those great support acts never quite making it to the full centre stage. You get the feeling that Sal would be better off in California playing on the beach whilst buff sunbathers jump up and down to their music, so being a band from Wales, I wonder whether they will be able to find the success that they truly deserve…