'Cut and Run' 

Ron Mozart

Seventy-five minutes of gloriously classic Rock/Pop. It's just like the very best of the 'seventies were here, again. 'Cut and Run' contains seventeen original Ron Mozart compositions, all of which have been given the 'kitchen sink' treatment as as far as sumptuous arrangements go, particularly the beautiful vocal arrangements that underpin Mozart's melodic and harmonious songs. This is very much a guitar and drum-driven vehicle of powerful songs. Ron Mozart charts the whole range of human emotions, including love, lust, loss and humour through a range of well-crafted songs that cover the whole gamut of the Rock/Pop genre. This album really does deserve to be heard.

Singing all of the vocals (bar some backing vocals on two tracks) and playing most of the instruments (Mozart does share some of the lead guitar duties with Peter Wright and Luke Murray does a sterling job on drums) this is very much the work of a driven musician. All seventeen tracks are presented confidently with an aurally exciting stereo mix of inspired arrangements. There are some very sensitive moments, not least in the opening ballad 'The Kindest Cut of All' where Mozart and guitarist/backing vocalist Vicky Wright call out to each other, fading into the distance as they lament their disintegrating relationship. Their voices are torn apart and we are left with a sense of loss. The last track, 'Run To You' sees a desperate need for reconciliation and the final, nagging, insistent guitar solo represents the frustration that abounds. 

There is humour, particularly in the History lesson that is the fine example of genuine Punk Rock, 'Joseph Bazalgette', complete with an 'I don't care' slashing and grinding guitar solo. 'The Man From ICI' may well carry a political message, but its lampooning is hilarious. There is also great energy, most evident in the power chords in 'She Could Be Anywhere' and the blistering 'Teenage Anthem'. Mozart's guitar solos are well-conceived, appropriate and virtuosic. He plays with confidence and with a deep, dark, tonal resonance, using the whole range of sounds available from his instruments. The power chords and the chorus-drenched solos of 'Gunsmoke' make this a most desirable track. Beautiful, yet powerful. Mozart's trademark 12-string guitars are all over this album, too, but make no mistake, it is the electric guitar the rules, here.

The most commercial track is 'You're The One', which really does demand and deserve high exposure on the radio and television. It's a 'classic' late 'sixties-style power-pop ballad. A wonderfully joyous song that will have you singing along and dancing after one listen. So, overall, this is a long album that remains within the Rock/Pop canon, representing what is the very best of that genre. It is an outstanding work of art as there is not a weak track on the whole album. Top three tracks: It's a draw between the irresistible pop anthem 'You're The One', the most melodic and intriguing 'City Walls' and the lyrically puzzling and dynamically varied 'Gunsmoke'.