America and the world have been through a lot of emotional upheaval since I first reviewed Vicious Rooster’s infectious, delightfully jangly yet intensely explosive single “Runaway Angel” in early 2018.
Yet as eloquently and soulfully expressed by Argentine born, L.A. based singer/songwriter Juan Abella and his band, the notion of chasing love that’s just beyond our reach (whether personal or universal) has an air and flow of timelessness that speaks to us now even more powerfully. Fans of Vicious Rooster’s colorful brand of classic, Southern and grunge rock are paying major attention, as the track recently eclipsed 52,000 streams on Spotify.
Musically, it’s a gem that keeps evolving, from its initial sparkling strum through its seductive easy grooving, whimsical keyboard fills, Abella’s edgy electric guitar accents and a final wailing coda that underscores the multitude of emotions in the narrative. That story finds him alternately full of wonder (“Tell me, baby what you looking for? Is it me?”), confusion (“You’d always kiss and smile/That keeps on puzzling me, woman”), hope and a sense of restrained gratitude and resignation that “You are my woman at least for today.”
Yet for all the emotional ups and downs, it’s Abella’s appealing, laid back vocals that hold our hearts steady and draw us in throughout, eager to hear if the angel, once gone, will ever come back beyond their sweet memories. Acknowledging that real love is never perfectly black and white – where we’re either madly in love or mourning its loss – and few singles in recent memory capture those gray areas so perfectly as Abella, Vicious Rooster and “Runaway Angel.”
Listen to Vicious Rooster's album The Darkest Light here: https://open.spotify.com/track/55IxZvlatHCAZAsYREX63j?si=kYjMQllQTn2Kuuk-Y0ahZA