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Left Lane Cruiser — Dirty Spliff Blues
(Alive Natural Sound 0171, 2015, CD)

by Henry Schneider, Published 2015-09-26

Dirty Spliff Blues Cover art

Here is a new release of music that we do not normally cover, blues rock. For over ten years the duo of Freddy J IV, AKA Joe Evans (vocals and slide guitar) and Pete Dio (drums) have been churning out their personal blend of high-octane rural blues rock. Now they’ve been joined by Joe Brent (bass and skateboard slide guitar) for their latest studio album. This band from Fort Wayne, Indiana delivers some hefty blues rock reminiscent of ZZ Top and a gritty Jon Bovi. What I find intriguing are the interesting and articulate lyrics, not at all what you normally encounter with blues rock. Instead of short repeated phrases like “I woke up this morning …” Left Lane Cruiser writes, for example, “I resonate what I found, I give you back my sound” on “Elephant Stomp” and “one thousand light years from away from Hell” on “Cutting Trees.” Accompanying the lyrics are simple blues riffs from this power trio, following the standard I-IV-V-I chord progression. This release is definitely a guilty pleasure for progheads. The testosterone levels are off the charts. Some of the songs just slither through your brain like “Tangled up in Bush.” High points for me are “Heavy Honey” with its heavy bass, drums, and slide guitar and the electric Delta Blues number “Skateboard Blues,” with an excellent guitar solo and gritty/edgy vocals. Another interesting song is “All Damn Day,” that sounds like the love child spawned from a random encounter between Bon Jovi and the Beastie Boys. So, if you just want to cut yourself loose from intricate song structures and virtuoso musicians, Left Lane Cruiser may just be the ticket.

Filed under: New releases, 2015 releases

Related artist(s): Left Lane Cruiser

 

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