Stranger - Rock Solid

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Review by Patrick Elmore

Rock Solid by Stranger: A Blues Rock Punch to the Gut Stranger’s Rock Solid ain’t your grandma’s cup of tea. Released in 2011 under Grooveyard Records, this US-born beast of an album slams together rock, pop/rock, and blues rock like a bar fight you can’t look away from. It’s raw, it’s messy, and yeah, some tracks repeat more than they should—but that don’t stop it from hitting harder than a swamp-booted kick to the shins. Let’s talk about two tracks that stuck with me like gum on a hot sidewalk: “Dedication To Stevie Ray” and “Swamp Woman.” First up, “Dedication To Stevie Ray.” This one’s a gut-punch tribute to SRV himself, dripping with soul and enough guitar wailing to wake the dead. You feel every string bend, every slide—it’s like Stevie Ray Vaughan decided to haunt this track just to show these guys how it’s done. The solo? Fire. Pure fire. If you’re not air-guitaring by the end, check your pulse—you might be dead. Then there’s “Swamp Woman,” which is basically what would happen if mud, whiskey, and bad decisions had a love child. The groove is thick as molasses, and the vocals are rough around the edges—like someone who’s been chewing gravel all night. There’s even a live version thrown in for good measure, because why not? It’s gritty, dirty, and damn near impossible not to move your feet to. When they hit that chorus, it feels like getting sucker-punched by rhythm itself. Love it or hate it, you won’t forget it. Now, let’s get real for a sec. Some songs on Rock Solid repeat so much it’s like the band forgot what else to write—or maybe they just didn’t care. Tracks like “Gimme The Rock” and “Okeechobie Whiskey” pop up multiple times, but honestly? At this point, I’m too busy headbanging to care. Maybe repetition’s part of the charm. Or maybe Stranger just wanted to make sure we got the message loud and clear: this ain’t music for sipping tea—it’s music for breaking stuff. Here’s the kicker though—the whole thing works. Sure, it’s chaotic, uneven, and kinda rough around the edges. But isn’t that what rock ‘n’ roll’s supposed to be? Polished albums are boring. Rock Solid feels alive, like it could explode at any second. And honestly, that’s exactly what makes it worth spinning again… and again… and probably way too many times after that. Final thought? Listening to this album feels like walking into a dive bar where everyone knows the words to the jukebox hits—even if half those hits sound the same. So grab a beer, crank it up, and let Stranger remind you what happens when rock gets real. Just don’t blame me when your neighbors start complaining.

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Artist: Stranger
Album: Rock Solid

Table of Contents

Download

Filename: stranger-rock-solid.zip
  • MP3 size: 240 mb
  • FLAC size: 2404 mb

Tracks

TrackDurationPreview
Face To Face (Live)3:55
Swamp Woman
Let Me Rock 'N' Roll4:47
Get On Up
Shake Down2:50
Never Look Back
Poke Salad
Alligator Joe4:56
Rock 'N' Roll You Baby
Girl That Bad (Should Never Look So Good)
Comin' To Get You2:43
Mama Mama
Okeechobie Whiskey4:58
Poke Salad3:41
I'm The Man You're Looking For
I'm the Man You're Looking For4:36
Get On Up2:13
Gimme The Rock
Okeechobie Whiskey
Gimme the Rock3:12
Dirty 02:56
(This Time) Gonna Love You Baby
Face To Face Live
Dedication To Stevie Ray
Alligator Joe
Dirty & Mean
(This Time) Gonna Love You Baby4:55
Girl That Bad (Should Never Look So Good)3:22
Swamp Woman2:32
Dirty & Mean2:56
Swamp Woman Live
Comin' To Get You
Let Me Rock 'N' Roll
Rock 'N' Roll You Baby3:20
Dedication To Stevie Ray1:59
Mama Mama4:24
Never Look Back4:48
Ready To Fight2:37
Swamp Woman (Live)6:15
Ready To Fight

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Catalog Numbers

GYR075

Labels

Grooveyard Records

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Formats

  • CD
  • Album
  • Unofficial Release

About Stranger

American hard rock band based in Tampa, Florida, formed in the early eighties. Originally Named Lynxx and then Romeo before settling on Stranger, the band was discovered by record producer Tom Werman (Cheap Trick, Ted Nugent, Mötley Crüe). Stranger signed with Epic Records/CBS Records in 1981, and released their debut album on April 18th, 1982. Their self titled first album contained the track "Swamp Woman" which arguably remains their most well known song which, along with the opening track "Jackie's So Bad," received considerable airplay on Florida radio and many other markets throughout the U.S. The band toured the southeast and became the biggest drawing circuit band ever. Stranger also opened shows nationally for Triumph, Quiet Riot, UFO, Skid Row, Aldo Nova, Eddie Money and many other big name acts of the time. Unfortunately though, Stranger received very little support, promotion, or publicity from their record label in regards to the album. The group was paid to cease-and-desist while recording their second album for Epic titled Runnin' in the Red, which was par for the course with many rock acts in the early '80s when pop, new wave and post-punk were the darlings of the record companies before hair-metal rock grabbed a foothold; a classic case of the right place at the wrong time. Stranger toured heavily throughout Florida. Stranger was "a Florida band" and gained a fanatical following throughout Florida. Fans became familiar with the songs on the second album long before its release. Other support and respect would come from the musicians who played with the band. In 1982, touring with Aldo Nova and UFO on the west coast for about five weeks, the rock acts Tesla and Kings X both saw the group and both bands became fans. Tesla actually covered a Stranger song "Jackie's So Bad" in their early days. Stranger was a respected musical force during its time, often associated with more nationally known names such as Pat Travers, Molly Hatchet, Mother's Finest (which they would play at the opening of their live shows) and fellow Tampa band The Outlaws. Stranger was endorsed by Viking Cases, Peavey Electronics, and developed a loyalty to Tampa music store Paragon. Ronnie Garvin and Tom King were individually endorsed by Dean Markley Strings. At the end of the decade, they were offered a new deal with Atlantic Records, but refused it after seeing the same dubious contract clauses and pending pitfalls they experienced with their previous contract. Also their previous manager helped put a monkey-wrench in the deal by declaring he still had ownership of management indirectly from the previous contract. Failure to find a major label deal didn't faze them much as the band released a series of self-distributed LP/EP releases on their own Thunder Bay label, and produced their own videos over a span of 15 years. The Stranger catalog has been re-released on retrospect records. Stranger also licensed and released an album in Japan with Alpha/Brunette Records. In March of 1996, lead singer, Greg Billings, left Stranger and formed Damn The Torpedoes. Though Stranger tried to continue on with a new singer, the band eventually called it quits shortly there after. The fact that the band was able to survive and thrive for what was essentially a self-promoted local/regional club band at that time was no small feat prior to advent of the Internet. Lead singer Greg Billings and Bassist Tom King are still performing together in the Greg Billings Band.

Members

  • Greg Billings
  • Ronnie Garvin
  • Tom Cardenas
  • John Price

Interesting fact about Album

Here’s something cool: The album *Rock Solid* by Stranger is a raw, bluesy ride packed with tracks that pay homage to Stevie Ray Vaughan. One standout is "Dedication To Stevie Ray," which feels like a heartfelt nod to the legendary guitarist. What’s wild? The album has multiple live versions of songs like "Swamp Woman" and "Face To Face," giving fans a taste of both studio polish and raw energy. Released in 2011 under Grooveyard Records, it’s got a mix of swaggering rockers like "Gimme the Rock" and swampy grooves like "Okeechobie Whiskey." For a band flying under the radar, they sure delivered an album that feels alive and kicking.