Let's All Drink To Black Cherry's Smokin' Guitar Opus

Straight from the same spot my dearest mother was born in, feast your eyes on Black Stone Cherry who've graced us with the presence of an incredible guitar-based music exhibition of primal power called "Cheaper To Drink Alone". Chris Robertson does a terrific job moving the storyline along with observations of a woman who lit a wild fire in his bed, took his wallet and wrecked his head, drank his bourbon and burned his cigarettes. Now he doesn't feel anything at all. Chris ponders what he could do to get her back such as rob a bank or show her where the money's at. This woman certainly has caviar tastes if her penchant for diamonds and Cadillacs is any indication. Jon Lawhon displays his mastery of bass guitar in breathtaking style whereby it snakes its way through this song like a cobra with a plus-sized appetite that cannot be sated all that easily. You're missing out on one hell of a treat if you don't take notice of his gifts in quick fashion. He's the stuff that dive bar revelations are all about. In addition to being one hell of a weather beaten vocalist. His turn at lead guitar makes a sinner drop to his knees in full on confessional mode. He knows where to lay down the whiskey-stained grooves in all the right places and what results is a perpetual motion track that takes you along on an electric joyride that's going to leave you gasping for air because there's a tried and true cardio workout behind the notes. Mind you it's of a slow, deliberate bump and grind persuasion but it's winningly effective nonetheless. John Fred Young does a nifty job behind the drums, an effort that juices up the sex appeal by a few notches. Can't you just visualize the panties and belt sliding off onto the floor no questions asked? Back to the drumming. John keeps it consistently steady but does find the time to unload with some choice wizardry that is going to sound great when performed live. Many a bar patron is going to raise a toast during the playing of "Cheaper To Drink Alone" in tribute to how true to life the subject matter is when faced with a romantic relationship that gets way too entangled to think it could be maintained for any appreciable length of time. "Cheaper To Drink Alone" doesn't require much of a time expenditure, clocking in at 3 minutes 51 seconds but you get full value for the time investment you make. You'll find yourself about as far from bored as you could possibly get. Several rounds will have gone down your gullet during this song's running time. I'd like to say that cheap isn't exactly the right adjective for this song. Robust suits the material better. Repeated listenings will have you agreeing wholeheartedly. Black Stone Cherry is one band of Kentucky music makers who have a bright future in front of them and I'm sure they'll know what next steps to take to extend their period of relevance.

New Politics Invites Audiences To Become One of Them

I can't stress enough the importance of a good hook to sell a song. Danish tune makers New Politics ace that introductory level class by trotting out "One of Us" which relies heavily on a drum and keyboard framework to tell the tale of how important it is to fit in with your environment, whatever that happens to be. The opening line pretty much tells the story. "Everybody needs a place to call their home. Everybody needs a place to call their own. Even when you're lonely know you're not alone. You're one of us. one of us, one of us, one of us. David Boyd excels in his role as lead vocalist and keyboard player. His noodling sets the tone for a tight knit brotherly feel as if we were sitting in a malt shop watching a group of old chums commiserate over the direction their lives were taking. The keys are laid down hot and heavy and offer a welcoming crook of the finger to be part of the community that's both global and necessary for global scale nourishment for the soul that helps rather than harms psyches. Staying connected plays a huge role in keeping head above water when the circumstances seem at their worst. David asks a very important question that all of us ponder at one time or another in life. "Will you drown in the pain or dance in the rain. Also the issue of "what or who are you living for" looms large "When you can't take no more, cause when it rains it pours what are you living for?" Will your life be a starring role or a cameo. All of the choice rests on your shoulders. Sunshine, happy days and hardship are welcomed in equal measure. At the end of the day all of the emotional elements matter greatly. Soren Hansen does excellent work on guitar while Louis Vecchio puts in incredible labor on drums. He does more than just tap, he bangs home wonderful rhythms that go over well in any language. All three put their programming skills to excellent use. The Danish band starts the song with the aforementioned keyboards in high style. At the twenty second mark the drums go on full throttle just to remind us that they're still out there grabbing our attention on command. Here the pacing is slow enough for the message to sink in nice and easy but not so slow that we feel like a dirge is in progress. There's a sense of gaiety even when discussing the vicissitudes common to daily life. Nobody's likely to launch into a depression cycle over this tune. On the contrary it's happier than it has a right to be. "One of Us" sends off these warm inviting vibes hard to resist yet easy to sing along with. There's also a clap along element that really allows New Politics a certain friendliness that modern audiences will eat up in a thrice. In short "One of Us" makes us eager to explore all of them.

Grouplove Sends Out Good Sing-A-Long Energy For Its Latest

If you're like me, a bit of wordplay goes a long way. Case in point, the latest effort from LA indie act Grouplove, titled "Good Morning". Co-vocalist Hannah Hooper throws down some lyrics that could easily feel right at home in a Dr. Seuss book. For example what else are we to make of "From the black to the blue to black, black, you like that? Call on the cat cause the cat dragged in. I caught the rat. The rat, rat, the rat trap. All I know." Lots of jazz behind those words. Very playful, which is to be expected from the band which gave us "Tongue Tied" a snappy ditty from 2012 which no doubt tons of people had stuck in their heads for weeks that year. Christian Zucconi is equally playful with his end of the word choice. He adds in "The night is young, the rest is up to you. Why ya' gotta say "good morning" Why ya' gotta say "good morning" Why ya' gotta say the night is young, the rest is up to you. Hannah Hooper adds a dash of keyboards from the start to kick start the fun we're sure to start having. No slouch in the octane department himself,Andrew Wessen injects oomph thanks to stellar guitar work which makes listeners sit up and take notice. Not to be taken lightly in his own right Ryan Rabin pounds fast and furious on drums, a decided spring in his step with every smack on the pads. Newest member (as of 2014 anyway), Daniel Gleason shows off his chops on bass, heightening the funsome madness of the other band members' contributions. Christian Zucconi really appears to be having fun during his portion of the video. His goofy mannerisms with Hannah make a smile magically appear where there wasn't one before. Grouplove is a nifty band to watch in action. It relishes the goofiness behind the music industry circus to where it's hell bent on not taking itself too seriously. Good move guys. When the creative spirit is relaxed, magical things can end up sprouting into place. The candle wax imagery at the outset brings up the curiosity factor. It also makes one wonder what kind of crack the band was high on when the shoot kicked off. All five band members fuse into a compelling, cohesive sync. You get a real strong sense of the LA night way of being from the nice tight, roaming car shots in the video. Beautiful noise on drums due in no small measure to how Ryan serves himself well as the percussion toting irresistible force trooping around in the background who also keeps Grouplove consistently on track to finish its hyper-focused journey. The video scene in the cafe where the patrons make darting glances sums up the free-spirited mindset Grouplove uses as its stock in trade weapon of choice. This bunch knows how to thrive laid back style. "Tonight I'm singing. I've got the feeling. The clock is moving. Moving till I lose control. Get now, I'm leaving. My ears are ringing. My body screaming. This is unbelievable." Yes, it is, and so is Grouplove for that matter. "Good Morning" gives off good humor right for any time of day.