Americana and a singer songwriter style merge more often than not here. Comparisons range throughout the set from Tom Petty to Elvis Costello to Bruce Springsteen. There is some great slide guitar throughout a lot of this album. All in all, this is quite an effective set.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2012 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Anymore
Americana meets an almost alternative rock sound. In some ways, this isn’t that far removed from something Elvis Costello might do. The female vocalists add some nice flavor and there is a lot of retro charm to this thing. Some of the male backing vocals later make me think of a cross between David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen.
Without You
Tom Petty is perhaps the best comparison here. This is a powerful mid-tempo cut with a lot of great musical flavors and layers of sound. It’s a far better tune than the opener.
Well OK A mellower, singer songwriter type of tune, this one has some harmonica. The comparisons to Springsteen are rather appropriate here, too.
Lick Your Lips There’s some great slide guitar on this killer bluesy rocker. The vocals on this tune make me think of Springsteen and Petty, but there’s another element at play, too.
At the Old Canal The blues concept is on display here, as well. There’s a bit more of a down home blues sound to this one, though, and it’s a slower track. It’s also one of the coolest on show here.
And A Whole Lot More Here’s another energetic slice of classic rock with a definite Tom Petty vibe.
Going Nowhere There’s a great retro funk groove to this number. It has some especially tasty guitar soloing later in the number.
Long Time Loser As this starts off it almost feels like Steely Dan. It works out to another classic rocker that’s quite cool. There is definitely a lot of Springsteen to be found here, particularly late in the piece.
Automatic Day An acoustic guitar driven tune, this is a slower number. It’s got plenty of that Tom Petty classic rock element in place. It’s another piece with some great guitar soloing.
Right Back To You Springsteen meets Elvis Costello on this singer songwriter number. It’s mid-tempo and a good way to end things in style.
