Rating: 3 Pulses
This all-star cast that has settled within the city limits of Murfreesboro have fused together an interesting mix of rock, Southern dirty blues and power-pop melodies into one solid album.
Influenced by everything from Kiss to Elvis, this album packs quite the punch. The mixture of the solid guitar playing of James Hogan and Jimmy Fox coupled with the intensity of Will Hunt IV on drums pushes the limits of just the average rock band, as the guitars play off of each other, making the listener hang off of every sweet solo, almost ready to explode.
Andrew Ashley presents himself as a good lead singer, and overall his sound fits nicely into this impressive outfit. The musicianship is by far above the standard, as the band pushes every note to the extreme, yet is tasteful and well placed within the framework of each song. Recorded at Landster Studio and mixed by Bryan Bassett, the actual sound is upper-class presenting a slick and bright feel that makes it hard to believe this album was an independent project.
Overall, this album is well-produced, hard rocking, driven and determined. The music is straight-up, hitting hard to your ears, ready to move your head in steady motion with the complex rhythm and beat, and letting go on the seemingly familiar but crafty rifts.
Yet, here is the tale of an extremely talented band that has put together a string of hits into one album, and though the name Greatest Hits usually means your best of hits over a few albums, I have only seen one album, and many of the songs don’t seem to fit into one long playlist.
This album features 15 tracks, yet it seems that the direction of the album is lacking in the organization department. I understand that the name Greatest Hits was probably not meant to actually mean a greatest-hits album, but it is still hard to figure out where the band is going with their sound. The band does have some great rockin’ songs, such as “You Know It’s True,” which blends old blues riffs with a hard rock feeling, filled with blistering lead guitar attacks, tight percussion and bass playing and solid vocals. Yet, the power-pop melody of “I’ll Be There” seems to be a rehash off old, late-’80s rock ballad hits, and for some of you, it may seem great, but this confusion of so many styles, though impressive at times, seems to take away from the strength of the solid music playing in the album.
At times, the lyrics seem a bit too cliche with overused phrases. Each one of these players on the album is great by their own right, yet on some of the songs, the mesh and comradery of the players feels a little forced.
The album is definitely worth listening to, and if the direction of the band becomes more focused, they have the potential to be a big contender.
