Left Lane Cruiser: Beck in Black Review

Dirty blues, nasty rock, distorted vocals and half the band leaving all go into the recipe for the latest release from Left Lane Cruiser. This is a bit of an unusual “best of” album in that there are six new (to us) tracks. Beck in Black is a celebration of the band’s previous line up of Frederick “Joe” Evans IV on guitar and vocals, and Brenn Beck on drums. This was the line up for the first ten years until Beck left the band in 2014.

The fourteen track collection does a good job of capturing all the moves in the band’s repertoire. Beck in Black demonstrates Beck’s skills behind the kit, from the frantic trash-can percussion of “Zombie Blocked” and jittery boogie of “Crackalacka” to the steady groovin’ of “The Pusher” and the syncopated drive of “Chevrolet.” “The Pusher” is one of six unreleased tracks appearing on this album, which means that serious fans will probably want it even if they already own eight of the numbers appearing here. The “Luther Dickinson on crack” guitar work and howling vocals from Evans are Left Lane Cruiser’s sonic hallmarks, and Evans does not disappoint, wailing into overdrive no matter what the theme or tempo of the song. The lone ballad, “Maybe” is a great example of how even during a more tender moment Left Lane Cruiser never really slows down. The collection isn’t just a farewell to the group’s first drummer, it’s also an demonstrative summary of the band’s work in their first decade.

Beck in Black is a great starting point for Left Lane Cruiser virgins. If you are a fan of hard rocking, down and dirty, post punk blues rock you will want get to know Left Lane Cruiser andBeck in Black is a the perfect introduction.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Amy’s in the Kitchen
– Maybe
– Chevrolet
– Zombie Blocked
– The Pusher

The Big Hit

– The Pusher

Ty Curtis: Blame Me Review

Ty Curtis is back with a down and gritty new record called Blame Me. Ty’s newest album is packed with soul, blues and ripping guitar riffs. This latest effort also features some of the most heart-felt, emotion tugging vocals to come out in several years.

The album opens with “That’s Good,” an old school rock number that showcases Ty’s soulful vocals and over -the- top guitar playing. “That’s Good” rolls right into the title track, which was also the first single from the record. “Blame Me” is a hard rocking track about relationship woes. Ty’s soulful rock vocals, reminiscent of Paul Rodgers reign supreme and stand out above everything else. “Back Again” shows of Ty’s killer guitar work. He shifts gears on the  slower more soulful “I Can Say,” but still has those electric guitar moments interspersed at times occuring like exclamation points at key moments in the song.

Some other moments of note include, “Shake It Up,” which builds gradually in to a louder, blues rock track with the electric guitar having its own voice.”Urge and Temptation” is a roots reggae rocker with great vocal moments as well. Blame Me closes with the old school soul of “Never Get My Love.” This is hands down Ty’s best performance on the entire record. It’s one of the those rare productions with a great dance groove and down right mean guitar work.

The overall production is what you would expect from a blues man. It’s tight and punchy. Longtime drummer, Jerry Jacques, and bassist, Tony Valdez, drive Ty’s performance, like a jockey on the final lap of the Kentucky Derby. Blame Me is an impressive set of burning blues rock tracks with very tasteful southern rock overtones. It is an great addition to any blues rocker’s collection.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– That Good
– Back Again
– I Can Say
– Never Get My Love
– Blame Me

The Big Hit

– Blame Me

The Temperance Movement: White Bear Review

White Bear is the highly anticipated follow up to 2014’sThe Temperance Movement. There has been a bit of a buzz about this record being a departure from their debut. The best way to describe it is that White Bear is a little more Faces-Stones-Black Crowes, and slightly less Zeppelin-Free than their debut. The real difference is simply a natural growth that we come to expect from truly great bands and The Temperance Movement delivers in spades.

All twelve jams are very memorable, rock and roll affairs.White Bear kicks off hard with “Three Bulleits” and the call to battle “Get Yourself Free.” The latter has a groove in the verses that is absolutely infectious and erupts into a blistering anthem in the chorus.  “A Pleasant Peace I Feel” touches on something reminiscent of more psychedelic Beatles. It builds to a chaotic yet very satisfying roar. The opening power chords of “Modern Massacre” will have you thinking that someone slipped in a lost High Voltage era AC/DC track in there. It’s bold and beautiful and completely filthy, like real rock and roll is supposed to be.

Phil Campbell is the embodiment of rock roll abandon in the tradition of Chris Robinson, Steve Marriott and early Paul Rodgers. The guitar work of Paul Sayer and Luke Postashnick provides all the textures that you would expect of a great rock band. Their massive crunching is simply devastating and when combined with Damon Wilson’s bass and Nick Fyfe’s drums it generates enough menace to make you want to turn it up loud enough to piss off your parents.

White Bear is the answer to all those naysayers who proclaim “Rock is dead.” The Temperance Movement is proof that rock is not only alive but it’s as nasty and in-your-face as ever. The only criticism that I can offer is that White Bear should come with a label that says “For Best Results, Play At Full Volume!”

The Review: 9.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– A Pleasant Peace I Feel
– Get Yourself Free
– Oh Lorraine
– Modern Massacre
– Do The Revelation
– Three Bulleits

The Big Hit

– Three Bulleits