Album Review: Moggs Motel - Moggs Motel

I'm not sure which direction I'm supposed to look at this album from. On the one hand, I could give Phil Mogg credit for sticking to his word that UFO was over and done with. On the other hand, I could ask why he needed to retire that band if he was going to turn around and do something almost identical to it. Artistic freedom is a wonderful thing, but when you are synonymous with a band, is there a need to strike out on your own? I'm not sure the answer to that, and this album doesn't really make a strong case one way or the other.

UFO went out on the lowest note possible; a covers album. If that was an indication Mogg was out of energy to keep making music, I would have understood it. But here we are with a new album, a horrible name (Where is the apostrophe?), and pretty much the vibe of UFO. At least when he made what I consider his masterpiece, the $ign Of 4 album, it had guitar playing that separated it greatly from UFO's legacy.

From the first chords of "Apple Pie", the sounds could just as easily be any of the later UFO records. The guitars play simple riffs with just enough clear distortion to sound bother classic and modern, putting all the attention on Mogg's vocal and lyric. Mogg is one of those rare singers who has gotten more interesting with age, as his limitations have given his voice a unique timbre that is more expressive than when he had his full range available. That has been true for decades now, but it's worth remembering as he knows enough to lean into his current strengths.

The issue here is the same as through most of Mogg's career; he is reliant on the guitar player to give him a melodic base to sing from. On that $ign Of 4 album, the playing had more melody intrinsic in it, and I don't think it was a coincidence that record featured Mogg's best set of melodies and hooks. Conversely, when a song like "Face Of An Angel" here plods along on the most basic of rhythms, Mogg isn't able to provide a hook that can break out of the tedium. His phrasing is so textbook Mogg that I would believe it if I was told it was an intentional referencing of songs from his past.

Ultimately, what we are hearing is a good album that needs a spark to make it great. The music is simple, Mogg's melodies aren't his best, and his voice is no longer capable of as much expression as at his height. Any one of those things would be fine, but having all three happen at the same time means that the record begins to drag long before it reaches the end. There isn't much energy to the performances here, instead sounding like veterans running through these songs for the tenth time during a recording session. It's played professionally, but without passion coming through the speakers.

There's enough good material here for this to be an enjoyable record, but it's one that won't be essential once the novelty has worn off. Whichever period of Mogg's career you're a fan of, I don't see this record displacing any of the old favorites from the tops of our lists. It's nice to hear Mogg still at it, and still making solid music. That's nothing to be disappointed in.