Believe it or not, Smoke On This is the very first solo album from Pantera/Down/Kill Devil Hill bassist Rex Brown, finally stepping out in the spotlight, putting his bass aside and strapping on his electric guitar as well as stepping up to the microphone for 11 new songs of sweaty & classic sounding hard rock. Handling all the vocals, bass, and bulk of the guitars, Brown is joined here by good friend, guitarist & collaborator Lance Harvill as well as drummer Christopher Williams, with production handled by Caleb Sherman. What you'll notice instantly is how little Smoke On This sounds to anything else Brown has recorded on previously, the '70s influences dripping from every song, with a healthy dose of pop, psychedelia, and Southern Rock thrown in for good measure. The meaty, blues rock riffing of "Lone Rider", "Crossing Lines", and "Train Song" show off plenty of swagger, and Brown's confidence behind the mic comes through full force. In fact, his strong lead vocals really shine on the atmospheric slice of psychedelic pop "Buried Alive", one of the albums more atmospheric numbers. "Fault Line" contains plenty of hooks to go along with the crossover country/acoustic styled arrangements, while the groove laden, funk-meets-Southern Rock stomp "So Into You" provides plenty of excitement.
On the downside, the album kind of limps along towards the back end with a few too many roots rock ballads, but the front end contains enough potent rockers to make this an easy recommendation. Welcome to the role of frontman Rex!
Track Listing
- Lone Rider
- Crossing Lines
- Buried Alive
- Train Song
- Get Yourself Alright
- Fault Line
- What Comes Around...
- Grace
- So Into You
- Best Of Me
- One Of these Days
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