On stage at Backstage at The Green in Kinross: MKO Band

They share equal billing on MKO, released on Oct. 17. Bassist Gerry McAvoy (M) and drummer Brendan O’Neill (O) have toured extensively with Knowles (K) as Band of Friends (they once played all Gallagher material) but this is the first time they have collaborated on a studio album of original songs. The eight tunes are penned and sung by Knowles and while they share some of Gallagher’s driving approach and the power trio lineup he favored both in his own work and that of his previous band Taste, this is no copycat outfit.

Opening track, “Fires” though could easily have slotted into a Gallagher album. It’s led by a snappy lick quickly echoed by the bass and we’re off on a rollicking blues rocker that gallops, pauses, and restarts as Knowles repeats “I’m getting tired of putting out the fires I’ve left behind.” He slams out a brief yet pointed solo which Rory would have approved and ends without breaking four-minutes. It’s tight, concise and a terrific kickoff to this “new” band’s debut.

Knowles, like his biggest influence, knows that successful blues rockers need firm melodies with memorable lyrics, as well as succinct, gripping guitar solos. He displays the sum of those talents on material such as “High Horse,” a kiss-off to an old flame with “It’s the same ol’ record playin’,…You ain’t got nothin’ good to say”. He unleashes his slide on a flaming solo as bass and drums deliver swampy backing. It’s such a cool vibe, you’ll wish it would extend past its three-and-a-half minute length.

A similar blueprint informs “Someone Else’s Dream.” Here the trio digs into a slithery, shimmery, dark groove perfect for the ominous, even unsettling lyrics of “The endless game of the loneliness you feel all the way/It’s not what it’s cracked up to be.” Knowles reflects that concept in a terse yet fluent lead that stays locked-in to the bubbling under energy.

The disc closes with yet another hotshot riff in “Still Got Work to Do.” It again uses Gallagher’s unique songwriting approach to punchy effect on a chugging rocker that stops only to let Knowles repeat the song’s title before jumping back and sprinting to the next verse. Add his affable vocals and most will think it’s an obscure Rory cover.

Knowles thrives with ballads too. The sturdy, swaggering melody of “Hold On Strong” gets a powerful, steady reading as he suggests listeners raise their voices, beat the drum and “hold on strong” for the disc’s lone slower selection.

He unplugs for “The Great Charade,” the disc’s only acoustic entry. It’s sweet bluesy folk with speedy picking. But assisted by McAvoy and O’Neill’s subtle rhythm becomes biting and rootsy as he sings “Don’t look back/Don’t think twice/Not everything is black and white” describing life on the run.

It’s an impressive start for what seems like a project that has legs. In MKO with McAvoy and O’Neill, Knowles has found a rhythm section that meets his high standards; a duo road-tested, approved and certified by one of the blues-rock greats.