Early press releases declared that, with the advent of Bo Walton, rock ’n’ roll would “never sound the same”. The problem with making such a claim is that once rock ’n’ roll doesn’t sound the same, it’s no longer rock ’n’ roll. Of course, these days almost anything can be – and often is – called rock ’n’ roll, even heavy metal and hardcore punk. But to the purist, rock ’n’ roll is a specific genre, firmly rooted in 1950s America. Despite being far too young to have witnessed that genre firsthand, Bo grew up devoted to it, revelling in his dad’s record collection of Presley, Cochran, Holly and so on. He all but wore out several of those vinyl discs with the enthusiasm he had for emulating every word he heard, especially those from Elvis. And when he came of an age to be making music of his own, first and foremost it was the rock ’n’ roll path that he followed. Bo may not be the first rock ’n’ roll exponent of the 2010s, but that is absolutely appropriate, because Bo is not banging out tunes of the ilk that require a three-piece backing band with a stand-up bass. He’s been playing that rockabilly style in pubs and clubs for the past few years; what we are hearing now is a progression beyond rock ’n’ roll. Bo's music is full of joyful homages and references to legendary riffs and lyrical phrases. The song structures are in a classic vein, with clearly defined verses, singalongable choruses and deceptively complex guitar solos. Meanwhile, Bo Walton’s vocal delivery is, by turns, smouldering and sultry and whoopin’-and-hollery. Thankfully, like his old-school heroes, Bo is also more than capable of holding a tune without resorting to today’s overused pitch-altering technology. From out-and-out rock ’n’ roll to lovelorn ballads and stadium stompers, Bo Walton takes the listeners on a musical journey.