Pure blues rock with tremendous musical perfomances and heart.
author: Don Kimenker
New York 4-piece, DETOUR, submits for your perusal a lucky-13 tune-packed CD full of tight tube crunching guitars, blues based heavy rock with speaker shredding harmonica lines and testosterone filled vocals. Black Crowes if the Crowes rocked harder or maybe a Stones if they were influenced by 80's metal. The band launches into track 1, "High Cost", announcing the blues rock that is scattered through this mostly hard rock guitar based collection. Track4, "Save Yourself", features drummer, Neil Kirby, in the intro - and features it does, as Kirby showcases his rock-solid ability to add finesse to a genre that hasn't felt drum finesse since John Bonham died. The tune opens up with a cool high hat/tom/snare figure, then guitarist, Mike Smiddy, enters with a crybaby/funky rhythm - cool. Track 6, "Mrs. Something Else", reveals without any doubt some of the heavy influence the Stones have had on singer, Stephen Berman, and the rest of the band - great tune. Willie Dixon pride is bled into track 9's, "Let It Ride", as the slow metal blues tears it up with soulful harp lines from singer, Berman. Track 11, "Horizontal Boogie", is an instrumental that features guitarist, Michael Smiddy's, lead blues line prowess - and the mp3 sample here(earbuzz) is nothing short of perfection in blues phrasing, - he moves through licks and tricks, without losing that blues feel to too much speed. The final track, "The Loner", is one of the best on the record, with its musical chorus and lyrics that hit home to anyone who's had to tolerate a 'mooch'...bassist Chris Lewis, who penned and performed the vocals, sings this tune of loner lunacy, 'feels so good to be alone without you here...I attract the unemployed, seems they flock to me in droves, I don't know why'. Overall, DETOUR's music is pure blues rock - with tremendous musical performances and heart.
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Black Crowes meets the Damn Yankees.
author: Will Scheff
Scorching guitar and harmonica and swaggering vocals are the hallmark of this skilled blues-based rock band. Somewhat cliched but extremely polished and well executed. Like the Black Crowes meets the Damn Yankees.
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This is classic rock the way it used to be.
author: Eric Zappa
This is classic rock the way it used to be before "Alternative" music took over the airwaves. Bluesy, fuzzed out with a nice dose of Led Zep-influence.If you like: Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, T-Rex
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Hot 'n' Bothered Blues Rock tunes
author: Doug Russell
Bristling with drunken confidence and bar rock energy, these rockers bust out hot 'n' bothered Blues Rock tunes, reminiscent of modern Rolling Stones or a beefier Black Crowes.
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