Reviews Written by redtunictroll
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August 28, 2008
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August 26, 2008
Fine 1970s-inflected piano singer-songwriter pop
1 of 1 Yahoo! Users found this review helpfulPros: Songs, arrangements, Dixon's piano playing and singing.
Cons: -
Dixon has been compared to singer-songwriters Ben Folds, Billy Joel and Elton John, and though he's likewise a pianist, his songs are more often wistful in the vein of Jackson Brown or Paul Simon. There's a soulful grandeur to his playing and singing, with funky elements as on Elton John's albums from the first-half of the 1970s; he lopes along on the New Orleans-styled second-line rhythm of "Till You're Gone" and takes on gospel-influences for "Find My Way." Dixon's classical training and the group's improvisational background can be heard in the quality of the arrangements and the solidarity of the playing (mostly recorded live-in-the-studio), but having pared themselves to a trio, the songs are now carefully honed to three- and four-minute pop pieces that forsake the overt jazz influences heard on the group's 2002 release, "On a Rolling Ball."
Like the best piano-led bands, the absence of guitar here is hardly noticeable. Dixon's playing has such a rich sound, that backed by bass and drums, its many octaves and sympathetic overtones fill the sonic palette. Dixon's voice lies complementarily on the lower notes of his piano playing, and on mid-tempo numbers such as the imagery-driven "All Will Be Well," his voice rings with the purity of Paul Simon. Though you'd be hard-pressed to label this band as Americana, their Nashville residence (Dixon's hometown, to which he returned after several years in New York) lends these songs an earnestness that winningly supports lyrics of love that's alternately new, sustained, broken and longed for. Dixon's equally convincing singing the first-person story of a return home on "Five More Hours" as he is detailing another's nearly suicidal loss on "And the World Turned."
Though Dixon's vocals provide a line of continuity from the band's earlier works, their new-found focus on concise songwriting and arranging provides a powerful multiplier to their performing. Dixon's voice fits beautifully into the songs, his piano playing is stirring on both the upbeat numbers and ballads, and the rhythm section provides fitting accompaniment rather than demonstrating their chops. The result is lively and engaging on both an intellectual and emotional level and a big step forward for this fine trio. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com] ... -
August 21, 2008
Low-key, stripped-down acoustic country-folk
Pros: Good songs, simplified productions, strong performances.
Cons: Short EP.
As the Avett Brothers pack their bags for the big time of American Recordings and Rick Rubin, they've left this six-song EP as a capstone to their five years on the indie Ramseur label. Unlike the fuller, rock-inflected country-folk productions of last year's "Emotionalism,&quo
t; their latest is pared back to just the brothers, their guitars and a banjo. Bassist Bob Crawford is absent, the vocals are mostly solo and the lyrics are pushed up front, with instruments providing a setting rather than active elements of the songs. The result is more like a songwriter's circle than a studio recording, leaning more heavily on the tunes than the performances. The six songs (clocking in at just under 21 minutes) are thoughtful, direct and personal, covering themes of growing up and letting go, romantic desire, brotherly considerations of family, and some philosophical wonderings. The brothers finger-picking is particularly fetching on "Bella Donna," a song of innocent teenage longing that winningly brings to mind Alex Chilton's "Thirteen." The Avett's capture a frankness, in their writing, singing, playing and production that's startling in its quiet power. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com] ... -
August 14, 2008
Haunting, atmospheric pop, cabaret and Americana
Pros: Original, haunting mood that combines modern pop, cabaret and Americana sounds.
Cons: Enigmatic lyrics that sketch images but little story.
The music of this Portland, Oregon quartet is surprisingly difficult describe. While there's an earthy, near-Americana quality to many of their songs, it's often fleshed out in quiet vocals and the lingering tempos of contemporary vocalists like Norah Jones. There are old-timey American and European sounds woven throughout, but they're rendered in relief of the shadowy, modernistic productions rather than nostalgia. The acoustic rhythm guitar and violin of the opener brings to mind Gypsy jazz, and though the Spanish lyrics add a helping of drama (ala Patrica Vonne, for example), the organ, tremolo guitar and a nearly imperceptible loop turn the track dark and hypnotic. Many of the album's tunes create similar moods, with Teisha Helgerson's whispery vocals backed by instrumental sounds that often seem delightfully out of context. The slashing electric strums of "Farewell" bring to mind Flamenco, but turned from fierce to enigmatic by a labored rhythm, slide guitar, and slow motion. The song's lyric provides its own contrasts, wondering aloud about the awkward relief felt for a relationship's dissolution. Later on the album's "Great Escape" contemplates the dull pain of complacency, imagining lovers too comfortable to reach out for something exceptional. Most of the album's lyrics are serpentine enigmas, weaving their way into the melodies with cinematic imagery rather than narrative. There are references to by-gone objects like rotary telephones, megaphones, and "odd belongings," and the backings can bring to mind the dark carnivals of David Lynch. The mid-tempo rhythm of "Tragedy" feels as if it were drawn from "Cabaret," with Helgerson's dispassionate vocal and the instrumental passages providing the haunting atmosphere of an empty theater. Helgerson fills the album with tension by couching soaring melodies in hushed restraint; you can feel notes straining to arch more powerfully, yet held back to court down-tempo, sparse backings that can't wake up from what might be a dream, or what might be a nightmare. This is akin to a dimly lit street on which shadowy nothings are as nerve-wracking as concrete somethings, and there's both comfort and dread in every step. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com] ...
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August 3, 2008
1960s Stax soul shouter rejoins the reconstituted
Pros: Floyd's songs are terrific; arrangements nicely echo the Stax sound.
Cons: Floyd's 73-year-old voice isn't the powerhouse it once was.
Floyd is best remembered for his 1967 hit single, “Knock on Wood,” co-written with legendary Stax guitarist Steve Cropper. The like-titled album is a superb entry in the Stax catalog, featuring Floyd’s soul shouts against the solid rhythm and punchy horns of the house band. Floyd landed additional singles on the R&B charts throughout the remainder of the 1960s, and crossed over to the pop chart again with an upbeat 1968 cover of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It on Home to Me.” But as “Knock on Wood” developed into an oldies radio icon, Floyd’s parallel success as a songwriter became obscured. His early years at Stax provided opportunities to write for Carla Thomas, William Bell and Wilson Picket (including the latter’s smash “634-5789 (Soulsville, USA)”), and in rejoining the resurrected Stax label as a recording artist, he takes the opportunity to re-cut a number of titles originally penned for others.
Though Floyd’s no longer the soul-shouting powerhouse of his early years, there is still considerable charm in his voice, often warbling soulfully in the vein of the recently passed Chris Gaffney. His material shows how unfairly his songwriting skills were overshadowed by his hit singles. The burnish in Floyd’s voice is beautifully suited for the longing sadness of “Since You Been Gone,” a late ‘50s demo tune by the Falcons that was never finished. Producers Michael Dinallo and Ducky Carlisle wrap Floyd’s pained vocal in superb rolling tom-toms, bass, dripping lap steel, and loose call-and-response backing vocals. The Falcons’ hit “You’re So Fine” is also reworked here, hanging on to its essential doo-wop stroll even as the arrangement is amped up with electric guitars (including some misplaced slide work), piano and roadhouse drums.
“You Don’t Know What You Mean to Me” retains the buoyant horn-lined sound of Sam & Dave’s original, and several other tunes are given an even greater Stax treatment than in their original productions. Dorothy Moore’s “I Don’t Want To Be With Nobody But You” is shorn of its string-lined drama and given low bass and Cropper-like guitar for Floyd’s quiet, soulful vocal, while “I Will Always Have Faith in You” is bumped up from Carla Thomas’ pained gospel-tinged original into a hopeful mid-tempo number. Two earlier Floyd ballads, the pre-Stax “Never Get Enough of Your Love” and the Stax-era “Consider Me” provide opportunities for wonderfully emotional vocals, and a pair of new songs, the soulful “Close to You” and the straight blues “Head to Toe” show the ink in Floyd's pen still flowing gainfully.
Floyd’s return to Stax, both physically in recording for the resuscitated label, and metaphysically in the arrangements and choice of material, is a winner. He doesn’t sing with the strength of forty years ago, but he does sing with the same heart and soul. And with his producers crafting a contemporary sound that doesn’t sacrifice the essential elements of the Stax heritage, the results wed retro emotion with modern sonics. This won’t replace “Knock on Wood,” but it’s a treat to hear Floyd imaginatively reinterpreting his own songwriting. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com] ... -
July 30, 2008
Blue-eyed and Memphis soul summit pays dividends
1 of 1 Yahoo! Users found this review helpfulPros: Cropper and Cavaliere both sound energized and vital; some excellent new songs.
Cons: A few contemporary moments that don't measure up.
On paper it’s a dream match made in soulsville: the iconic guitarist of Booker T and the MG’s writing and recording with the legendary blue-eyed soul vocalist of The Young Rascals. On disc, forty years after their respective chart conquests, their chops are in superb shape, their songwriting talents intertwine smoothly and they sound remarkably fresh and energized. Cavaliere’s vocals retain the summery emotion of his Young Rascals days, combining soulful phrasing with a horn-like edginess to his high notes, and Cropper’s guitar – both as a lead and rhythm instrument – retains every bit of its defining Memphis identity. In addition to his voice, Cavaliere’s organ gives a few tracks the old Rascals feeling, and the rhythm section of Shake Anderson and Chester Thompson is solid and surprisingly lyrical throughout.
The album’s biggest payoff is the mid-tempo “If It Wasn’t for Loving You,” combining Cropper’s instantly identifiable rhythm guitar licks (and a sweet solo) with a heartfelt vocal by Cavaliere, a hook-filled melody, and a clever a cappella coda. This would have been a huge AM hit in 1967, but might slip through the cracks of today’s balkanized formats. Also winning are the contemporary soul-blues “To Make It Right” and “One of Those Days.” The former finds Cavaliere failing to satisfy his mate’s material and emotional desires, with Cropper’s guitar neatly echoing the lyrical anxiety. The latter demonstrates the anguished aftermath of love gone wrong, with a bottom-heavy rhythm, call-and-response vocals and a guitar solo that’s perfectly woven into the chugging beat.
The duo explore more contemporary sounds with the soul-rap “Make the Time Go Faster” and proto-funk of “Still Be Loving You,” and Cropper’s guitars turn swampy (and Thompson’s drums get heavy) for the instrumental “Full Moon Tonight.” Two more instrumentals, “Cuttin’ It Close” and the ska-rhythmed “Jamaica Delight,” are undermined by dated sounds from Cavaliere’s keyboard, and though the same might have been true of the synthesized strings on the soft soul “Impossible,” it’s saved by Cavaliere and his background singers. The album’s closing instrumental “Love Appetite” is likewise plagued by synthesizers on its edges, but Cropper’s charging guitar and Cavaliere’s Ramsey Lewis-styled piano provides salvation. This album delivers what it promises: two soul legends combining their talents into a contemporary album that deeply echoes the past. The real surprise is how vital both players sound. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com] ... -
July 27, 2008
Heartfelt and fiery live take of Nile’s great LP
Pros: Terrific source material; crack band; excellent performance; solid live recording.
Cons: -
Rock ‘n’ roll albums have become a sadly scarce commodity. Sure, there’s indie rock, punk rock, modern rock and all manner of hyphenated descendants, but few artists still make rock music with roots that reach through all of the layers of decades past. The “’n’ roll” has been lost in the translation. Luckily, New York-bred Willie Nile is one such artist, born just in time for early exposure to Presley, Holly and Domino, steeped in the Greenwich Village folk revival and reignited by the ‘70s punk explosion. His recording career came of age in the early ’80s with a pair of albums for Arista, was derailed by legal setbacks with Geffen for the second-half of the decade, and restarted in 1991 with “Places I Have Never Been” on Columbia. Nile attracted A-list fans during his hiatus, and the comeback featured guest appearances from both Roger McGuinn and Richard Thompson.
The pattern of long gaps between releases repeated itself several more times. His deal with Columbia ended, he released an indie EP (“Hard Times in America”) in 1992, and dropped out again until decade’s end, when he released “Beautiful Wreck of the World.” Another seven years passed until he released his tour de force, “Streets of New York.” This was the culmination of everything that had gone before, both musically and personally, meshing life experiences (“The Day I Saw Bo Diddley in Washington Square”) with philosophical wanderings (“Back Home”) into a superbly vivid portrait of a musician and the city that served as his art’s crucible. Praise for “Streets of New York” came even before the album’s official release, and it was with that positivity ringing in his ears that Nile took the stage for the album’s release party at New York’s Mercury Lounge, resulting in the live recording captured here.
Working through ten of the album’s thirteen tracks, and adding a handful of titles from earlier releases, Nile knew he had the goods. He’s not selling a new album, he “was simply there to serve the songs, to tell the stories and hopefully do justice to the music.” Nile’s regular road band and guests (Andy York, Brad Albetta, Rich Pagano, Jimmy Vivino and Frankie Lee) burned through the album titles in the sort of heartfelt, fiery and well-oiled performance one expects at the end of the tour, rather than the start. These songs clearly hit just as much of an emotional resonance with the players as they did with the writer and the audience, and the freedom of their performance, hitting all the notes yet still rocking it live, is truly impressive.
As on the studio album, the opening “Welcome to My Head” provides a Felliniesque vision of New York, laying out a surreal map of the album’s visions. The artistic beehive of Greenwich Village is captured in the Pogues-like rock-waltz, “The Day I Saw Bo Diddley in Washington Square,” brought even further to life on stage by its sing-a-long chorus. The weary, wordy talking-blues shuffle “Back Home” derives from Dylan and Forbert, but Nile’s poetic images are more anchored (and less fantastic) than Dylan’s, and his sung passages are more melodic than Forbert’s. The song’s insistent piano riff is beautifully echoed in the title refrain, and the lyrical nod to “Bells of Rhymney” (“We sailed across a sea of time / We smoked the weed, drank the wine / Heard the bells of Rhymney chime”) provides a link to Nile’s past fascination with the folk revival.
Even those songs not directly about New York, such as “Asking Annie Out” and “Best Friends Money Can Buy,” or earlier titles like 1980’s “Vagabond Moon” and 1981’s “Heaven Help the Lonely” retain the city’s passionate emotional air. “Cell Phones Ringing in the Pockets of the Dead,” written about the 2004 Madrid train bombing, can’t help resonate deeply on an album dedicated to New York City, and the 1992 title track from “Hard Times in America” proves s ... -
June 30, 2008
Solid album of neo-traditionalist country
Pros: Chesnutt's continues with the neo-traditionalist country of his '90s hits. Great songs and vocals.
Cons: Neo-trad doesn't sound as fresh the second time around.
As Chesnutt’s hit-making years wound down at the end of the ‘90s, his MCA releases crept away from the neo-traditional honky-tonk that originally made him famous By the end of his tenure, and on his one album for Columbia, he was neither true to his country roots, nor finding crossover material that could catch the fickle ears of country radio. That all changed with his reemergence in 2004 as an indie artist. “Savin’ the Honky Tonk,” with its front cover nod to Waylon Jennings’ “Honky Tonk Heroes,” found Chesnutt rededicated to the sort of music that first energized his career: two-steps, shuffles and twangy ballads about loving, cheating, drinking and all manner of behavior in between.
The revival continued with 2006’s “Heard It in a Love Song” for CBuJ, including a number of terrific covers that showed Chesnutt wasn’t planning to pick up contemporary country’s style any time soon. And now with this third indie release, waxed for Lofton Creek, Chesnutt continues in the same direction, though with a larger helping of original material and a vibe that hews more to the radio-friendly neo-traditionalist ideas that exploded on country radio in the ‘90s. In hindsight, it’s easy to see how these sounds stood out from Nashville’s crossover productions, and in the goes-around-comes-around vein, Chesnutt’s new music stands out from the now-dominant rock-oriented and MOR sounds of Nashville’s current stars. ...
The leadoff “Things To Do In Wichita” is a catchy update of the Statler Brothers’ “Flowers on the Wall,” providing an inventory of distractions for a man’s broken heart. This gentle shuffle would get lost on today’s country radio, but would have been a solid hit in the ‘90s. The album’s other catalog song, “Live to Be 100,” lists all the things a modern man has been told to give up, such as cigars, alcohol, burgers, fries, sugar and salt; Chesnutt lends the lyrics an irascible vibe ala Waylon Jennings. Chesnutt writes of his first meeting with Jennings in “Long Way to Go,” and the advice the veteran gave to the budding star. A faithful cover of Charlie Rich’s “Rollin’ With the Flow” is turned mellow, with the song’s signature instrumental lick accompanied by piano, steel, baritone guitar and a complementary string arrangement. The strings turn heavier for the countrypolitan “When I Get This Close to You,” and the album’s ballads are highlighted by the love song “When You Love Her Like Crazy” and the sentimental “Man in the Mirror,” the latter written by Chesnutt about his father.
The disc’s upbeat songs include the Cajun beat and tongue-twisting lyrics of “Going On Later On” and the can’t-live-with-her, can’t-live-without-her “If the Devil Brought You Roses.” The album closes with the weeper “She Never Got Me Over You,” the last song written by the legendary Keith Whitley. Chesnutt really connects with Whitley’s lyrics of unrequited loss, offering up an understated by tremendously emotional vocal. And that’s a good description of the entire disc: Chesnutt sounds effortless as he roams over his country influences, never imitating, but always tipping his hat. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com] -
June 30, 2008
Fine swan-song from unique country-soul band
Pros: Terrific country, soul and country-soul; more honky-tonk than two previous outings.
Cons: With Chris Gaffney’s passing, this is the band's last album.
Vocalist, songwriter and group co-founder Chris Gaffney’s passing in April 2008 can’t help but retint this third studio album as a memorial to the group’s fallen leader. And while there are plenty of sad songs here, and some lyrics that eerily presage Gaffney’s departure, the album is filled with life, particularly in Gaffney’s singing. The group once again worked with Muscle Shoals songwriting and producing legend Dan Penn, but with his input limited to five tracks, there’s a stronger honky-tonk vibe here than the country-soul heard on 2006’s “What’s Wrong With Right.” The group’s co-leader, guitarist/
vocalist/ ...songwriter Dave Gonzalez, picks tasteful twangy leads, David Berzansky bends the strings of his pedal steel, and the band’s rhythm section (Hank Maninger on bass and Dale Daniel on drums) count off two-steps, shuffles and Western swings with enthusiasm. On top of it all, Gaffney’s rough-edged, occasionally wavery vocals are packed with emotion.
The album opens with Gaffney and Gonzalez trading the wistful verses of “A Lot of Days Are Gone,” rummaging through the memories of a faded love and sounding like the early, haunted work of Merle Haggard as they pine. With Gaffney’s passing, the line “Back when it was yesterday, the future seemed so far away, and there was always time, but now it’s slipped away” throws a particularly dark shadow. Connie Smith’s “I’ll Come Running” is given a bouncy Bakersfield treatment, with Gonzalez chicken-picking alongside Berzansky’s twangy steel and Gaffney warbling along to his own harmony vocals. The Bakersfield vibe, by way of The Derailers and Gosdin Brothers, pops up again in the goodbyes of “Big Town City,” with more terrific picking by Gonzalez and Berzansky.
Gaffney’s accordion, Gonzalez hard-picked nylon string guitar, and a trailside beat turn “Uncle Sam’s Jail” into a Western. Though written about Gaffney’s military experience, the song broadly illuminates the plights of the underclasses with the lyrics, “Most of us are losing while the rich folks run the game, doing life without parole, in Uncle Sam’s jail.” The album’s sole instrumental, “Light it Again Charlie” provides Gonzalez a chance to show off his blues chops, and keening steel and baritone guitar provide the instrumental touchstones on which Gaffney hangs his passion for the country ballad, “I Still Believe.” Gaffney turns to crooning for a shuffle arrangement of Hank Williams’ “When You’re Tired of Breaking Other Hearts,” and adds vocal runs on a cover of George Jones’ “Divorce or Destroy.”
The band returns to country-soul for the Dan Penn co-writes “Ordinary Fool” and “Use to the Pain.” The former is a superb, languid ballad, while the latter is edged in the gospel sounds of Joe Terry’s piano and organ. The gospel fervor returns on the joyful “Soul Mountain,” with a coda that could spark a church revival. As on many of the album’s songs, lyrics ostensibly detailing the pain of lost love take on additional layers of meaning with the retrospection of Gaffney’s passing. The album closes with the original “Break Free” whose lyrics of self-realization could also be taken as a vision for the hereafter. The Hacienda Brothers latest finds them deeply settled into the pocket of their hybrid style, true to both their country and soul roots, and closes the book on this once-in-a-lifetime vehicle for both Gaffney and Gonzalez. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com] -
June 26, 2008
Modern trucker country from the great white north
Pros: Updated take on trucker country.
Cons: Modern country sound can be overbearing and generic.
Like their labelmate Andy Griggs, The Road Hammers play a nitro-boosted brand of funky modern country rock that’s drawn in part from the Muzik Mafia stylings of Big & Rich. The group’s playing and production is solid, and their vocal harmonies are tight, but what really provides distinction is their slate of blue collar truckin’ tunes. But unlike Dale Watson’s “Truckin’ Sessions” this isn’t a throwback to earlier truckin’ sounds, and the group’s originals aren’t your daddy’s lonely songs of haunted, pill-popping, one-arm tanned long-haul truckers. Instead, the band lives up to its name with swaggering, full-throttle performances of originals and tunes borrowed from the pens of John Rich, Chris Knight, Jerry Reed and Lowell George.
George’s “Willin’” is one of several genre classics reprised here. The Road Hammers’ version of “East Bound and Down,” reflects the hammy spirit of Jerry Reed’s version for the film “Smokey & The Bandit,” and a terrific rocked up take on the Del Reeves hit “Girl on the Billboard” hangs on to its country roots with pedal steel and a twangy guitar solo. Less well known is Chris Knight’s “The Hammer Goin’ Down,” which was featured in the Patrick Swayze film Black Dog, and sung here more as a ballsy response to a challenge than a desperate response to a difficult situation. It works both ways, though it’s more emotionally charged in Knight’s earlier take. The group’s originals include the album’s eponymous declaration of the road warrior’s life, the upbeat two-stepping travelogue “Nashville Bound,” the gear-jamming “Overdrive,” and the slinky ‘70s-styled “Keep On Truckin’.”
This U.S. debut LP borrows ten tracks from the group’s initial Canadian release and adds three newly recorded tracks: “Workin’ Hard at Lovin’ You,” “I Don’t Know When to Quit,” and “I’ve Got the Scars to Prove It.” The first of three, written by John Rich, is rife with braggadocio, while the last provides a rare moment of introspection in which a hellraiser reflects on the rough way he’s lived his life. Much as 1960s trucker country reiterated 1940s and 1950s themes in the then-current musical idiom, it was only a matter of time until the time-tested subject caught up to Nashville’s current sound. The Hammers do a nice job of mixing in a few chestnuts, insuring there’s something here for both modern country fans and those weaned on the trucker tunes of the ‘60s and ‘70s. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings.[©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com] ...
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Northeast garage band re-finds their mojo
Pros: Powerful garage rock with howling vocals and buzzsaw fuzz guitars.
Cons: -
Forty-five years after the original lineup of little-known Northfield, Vermont garage band fell apart, they're back, and damned if they don't sound good. And by good, I mean gritty, sloppy, frenetic, proud, tough and all manner of adjectives not usually applied to a quintet of sixty-year-old rockers. Formed among the thriving (yet isolated) scene encompassing Northfield, VT and Plattsburgh, NY, Mike & The Ravens offered up the sound of 1962: pre-Beatles DIY rock recorded in a cavernous roller rink and free of the trend-driven straightjacket radio would eventually impose. The results held more in common with the savage sounds of the Pacific Northwest than the sides waxed in Chicago or Los Angeles, and the band became local heroes. The group's original recordings can be found on the scene compilations "Heart So Cold: The North Country '60s Scene" and "Cry of Atlantis: The North Country Scene '58-'67, Vol. 2," and the group omnibus "Nevermore: Plattsburgh '62 and beyond."
The group compilation follows the Ravens principles, lead vocalist Mike Brassard and songwriter Stephen Blodgett, from their initial meeting in the Ravens through a variety of '60s and '70s bands that ranged from early frat rockers through psych-tinged sunshine pop. In these new sessions, recorded in 2006 and 2007, Brassard and Blodgett reunite with the other three original Ravens (Bo Blodgett-lead guitar, Brian Lyford-bass and Peter Young-drums) to stomp convincingly around the Point Rouses, NY club that hosted their state debut over forty years earlier. The results find plenty of howl left in their voices, growling fuzz in their strings, and a rhythm section that can still crank up the heart-pounding excitement you'd expect on a Saturday night. The band opens with their 1962-penned "Roller, Roller Rollerland!" and quickly reveals how they got the rink's floor bouncing up and down under the weight of bopping teens.
Stephen Blodgett's new songs retain the freewheeling spirit of his earlier work, but the unusual titles ("Sweet Potato Red Sez Polly Don't Ride" "Once I Was a Dancing Bear") and sly lyrics also speak to the his post-Ravens psych work. The band, particularly Bo Blodgett on guitar, also reach past 1962 for some mid-60s garage and fuzz sounds. You still get the grunting energy of classic frat-rock, but layered with some brain-buzzing guitar and off-center lyrics. The claxon intro to "Who Will Love You" is an apt warning of the onslaught to come, and the carnivorous howl of "She Wolf" fleshes out its story of a man-eater. The album closes with the seven minute title track, and though stretched to hippie ballroom length, the group never loses its raucous engine room chug of guitars and vocals. The band's early singles are highly prized among collectors, but often regarded as not having captured the band's true vitality; forty-five years later, the Ravens make the most of their second chance. [©2008 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com] ...