|
***Hot new Memphis-style barbecued soul coming at you by way of Toronto, Canada: meet The Deadly Snakes. In 1999, some youngsters invited Greg Oblivian, formerly of the Memphis garage/soul/punk band The Oblivians, to Canada to produce an album by their six-piece rock'n'roll band. They perfectly blend rock, punk and soul - they even have a horn section. Naturally, Greg was so taken with their music that he not only wanted to be their producer, but he wanted to be in the band. They completed the album, later released by Sympathy for the Record Industry, with Greg as producer and soon after hit the road with him in tow as their second guitarist/lead vocalist. Now they are seven. Featuring all original material, I'm Not Your Soldier Anymore shows off the band's maverick musicianship and songwriting skills, and how could it not? With no fewer than three different lead vocalist/songwriters, influences run the gamut: Stax-style soul, Rolling Stones-style R&B raunch, the backwoods blues of Bob Dylan with The Band, the slinky growl of Van Morrison with Them, and loads of others. Their live shows are testimonials to the power of rock and soul music. I'm Not Your Soldier Anymore sounds classic and timeless. This is rock'n'roll music performed as the Almighty commands. Balancing frenetic, hand clapping, foot-stomping madness with plenty of swampy harmonica notes, vintage organ and a becoming drunken squalor, the Deadly Snakes give a warm welcome to rock'n'roll from the '60s...These Deadly Snakes rely on raw, mid-tempo numbers to shoulder their gritty and soulful call-and-response...Reminiscent of an inebriated, confused Neil Young, André St. Clair's vocals...lurch coolly from verse to verse with a demeanor that's unmistakably carefree, yet carefully crafted for a perfect fit that sounds like a gospel church choir gone haywire. Simple enough for the hoi polloi to sink their teeth into, yet still cool enough to satiate the planet's garage rockers.
-Andrew Magilow, Splendid |
