The London-based blues-roots trio JIMMY REGAL AND THE ROYALS have announced that their newest album, ‘Snap Back’ will be released on Friday 25th September 2026.
The band’s sound pivots around Joff Watkins, considered one of the best blues-harpists on the circuit, vocalist/guitarist. CJ Williams provides guitar and backing vocals. While Sammy Samuels provides drums, percussion, and backing vox.
“I Don’t Know Diddley” reminds us of something the Light Crust Doughboys might have recorded, with a tidy rhythm and blues texture, though with sufficient ‘jump’ to evoke the Tympany Five. This ode to Bo features a twangsome piece of guitar concertinaed into the last third, while the traditional raw hambone beat is glossed up by the same guitar, throughout. Engaging!
the sort of impertinent flair you might associate with the hill country blues the Rolling Stones were recording circa 1964
The juke-jointish “Until I Die” is a swirl of mud-soaked twirls, featuring bouncing guitar notes, choppy rhythms, gutter-mash vocals, and the sort of impertinent flair you might associate with the style of hill country blues the Rolling Stones were recording circa 1964. Hypnotic!
The dancing instrumental “Well Boss” pairs a keen blues-harp riff with counterpointing guitar, itchy rhythms, and lift, lift, lift! It evokes the spirit of Mr. Bloe in the seventies (Caleb Quaye, Ian Duck, Roger Pope, and Harry Pitch) and, like other tracks on this album, carries a moddish Northern soul feel. File alongside Big Walter Horton.
The title track, “Snap Back,” tumbles into earshot with a scurry of rhythms and a howl of harmonica. The verse structure is tidy and attractive, the impetus is stimulating, and the musicianship is breathtakingly razor-sharp. The song, about getting oneself back up to face life’s consequences, is imperative.
We might not have had our dog run over by a truck, lost our partner to a love rival, or had our house knocked down by a tornado, but we can all relate to the irritation caused by a flat battery. It’s all very well having all your money and your airline tickets stored on your phone, but what if the battery gives out? It’s even worse for a touring band in a clapped-out van who can’t start the engine to reach an important gig. Yes, we’ve all experienced the “Flat Battery Blues.” As expected, this song features lines of acidic guitar and pattering rhythms that heighten the stress levels, while the lyrics suggest the flat battery in this story is keeping our protagonist-singer from a warm welcome home. It’s great fun, delivered with an indefatigable style that hides a bothersome truth: our lives are becoming dependent on technology, and the dependence can be injurious to our well-being!
If you enjoy roots blues inspired by the greats, energized by Senegalese and Malian sounds, hill country folk (think Mississippi Fred McDowell), and early rockabilly (see “I Don’t Know Diddley” above), then you’ll surely love this album. It’s authentic, it’s unbleached, and it’s jitterbugging fun!
Words: © Neil Mach
JIMMY REGAL AND THE ROYALS Snap Back https://www.jimmyregalandtheroyals.com/
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