Minneapolis heavy blues rock quartet The Lone Crows have a very enjoyable album here with Dark Clouds, out now on World in Sound. They've obviously studied their classic rock, 1960's West Coast psychedelia, blues, R&B, and heavy rock well, as the 9 tracks on display here turn up influences as wide as Santana, Spooky Tooth, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Humble Pie, and many others. The band, Tim Barbeau (lead vocals, guitar), Julian Manzara (guitar), Andy Battcher (bass), and Joe Goff (drums), have crafted each song with plenty of melody, groove, and tasty licks, rocking enough but never too heavy. "Out of Time" sounds like a head-on-collision between Bad Company & Wolfmother, while the steady blues rock of the title track, "Next Thing I Know" and "Anger" offers up addicting vocals and well placed guitar riffs. There's a level of atmosphere too, which you can hear on the dreamy "Speechless", that allows the bands music to breathe and flow. Of course, the harder rocking numbers fare very well, including the Led Zeppelin styled "The Dragon" and the hard driving, psychedelic rave-up "Midnight Show", each one a showcase for some impressive guitar riffs & solos, tight rhythms, and the engaging vocals of Barbeau.
Dark Clouds is an enjoyable little CD, more of a simmering slow grower than a 'hits you right off the bat' type of release. The Lone Crows have put together some memorable songs with solid instrumentation, and I think the future looks quite bright for them. Definitely a band to keep your eye on if you like classic '60s & '70s sounds.
Track Listing
1) Next Thing I Know
2) Anger
3) Out of Time
4) Dark Clouds
5) Speechless
6) The Dragon
7) Lonesome Road
8) Midnight Show
9) On That Day
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