Published on Apr 27, 2023
The Zombies, formed in 1961, were a part of the original British music invasion. Songs such as “She’s Not There” and “Time Of The Season” solidified their place in rock and roll history and lead to their 2019 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Original members keyboardist Rod Argent and singer Colin Blunstone are now joined by drummer Steve Rodford, guitarist Tom Toomay, and bassist Saren Koch. They have just released their first album in 8 years titled Different Game.
Since their third and final reformation in 2004, the Zombies have been consistent by producing simple rock and roll rooted in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The sound has centered around Argents keyboards. He is also the principle songwriter and his lyrics have always been basic and ably sung by Blunstone.
Now, after over half a century, The Zombies had changed their sound a bit. Their material has a new sophistication and there is some layering.
The title song has an elegance that is unheard of in the Zombies lexicon. They introduce strings to their music for the first time, which gives it a church feel in some ways. “You Could Be My Love” and “I Want To Fly” continue the strings as the band produces a more modern sound.
“Love You While I Can,” “Merry-Go-Round,” and “Runaway” harp back to their traditional sound, while “Reconsider” is close to a torch song and has a jazzy feel.
The album was started pre-covid and finally finished five years later when the band cut most of the basic tracks live in the studio. Their other interruption was their 2019 induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
Different Game proves that you can teach an old dog a few new tricks.