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