Chris Youlden-Citychild (1974)

Chris Youlden was better known as the lead vocalist for the blues-rock band Savoy Brown during their heyday than for his own solo career. This singer was characterized by his superb voice and his accomplished songwriting, as demonstrated during his years with the aforementioned British band. With them, he produced high-caliber albums such as "Getting To The Point" (1968), "Blue Matter" (1969), "A Step Further" (1969), and "Raw Sienna" (1970), undoubtedly Savoy Brown's best works. However, after this last album, and due to his dissatisfaction with the musical direction the band was taking and the continuous and exhausting tours, he decided to leave the music world for several years. In 1973, he unexpectedly reappeared, debuting with his first solo album, "Nowhere Road", released by London Records (ironically, the same label as his former band). The most striking aspect of this album was his complete departure from the blues-rock sound of his previous band, focusing his compositions on a more funk-infused blues style, as heard in tracks like "Chink of Sanity" and "Mama Don't Talk So Loud", the standout "One October Day", and the radiant "Cryin' in the Road". However, this remarkable album failed to garner the desired response from the public and went largely unnoticed. A year later he would return with “Citychild”, a self-produced album, which received a similar reception to his first album, and which has a much more eclectic repertoire with songs with a clear blues rock accent very close to the style of Savoy Brown such as “Little Cog In A Big Wheel”, “Love And Pain” and “It Ain’t For Real” or close to funk blues such as the surprising “Born and Raised In The City” or “Keep You Lamp It”, while the unsettling “Spare Change” puts the rock note on this great album.