Since 2007, Los Angeles blues-rock outfit Andy Frasco & The U.N. has released five studio albums while building worldwide fame off their incendiary live shows, which often feature diehard fans and plenty of fellow musicians. Their first live release, Songs From The Road, pairs the CD with a live DVD and brings plenty of their fan favorites to the party.
The album starts with “C Boogie,” where bright keys, blues guitars, and horns explode into a party of upbeat, dance friendly jamming that continues on to the start/stop dynamics of “When You’re Lonely (Fill You Up). “Tie You Up” then brings the atmosphere into a calmer area with the moody ’70s rock that injects a wild saxophone solo that flows into the funky, soulful “Make It Work.”
Frasco and company have some punk spirit in them as well, as evident on the sizzling rocker with attitude “Mature As Fuck,” and though that attitude spills over into “Stop Fucking Around,” that tune is more of a piano and sax explosion. Further diversity is present on “It’s Been A Struggle” as it illustrates some ska influences. Meanwhile, “Smokin’ Dope And Rock N’ Roll” isn’t as rebellious as the title implies, and instead is a rootsy rocker with harmonicas and organs that will sit well with fans of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The back half of the album brings piano rockers like “Crazy Guy,” the bluegrass of “Down The Road,” and the frenzied dance rock of “What More Can I Say”. The band even strips back the madness for the warm ballad “Main Squeeze,” the only somewhat quiet moment to be found. The album exits on “Killing In The Name,” a song originally penned by Rage Against The Machine, and seems a bit more political than the rest of the album. While the seriousness of the song seems odd compared to the rest of the bunch, it’s fun to hear this version with horns present.
For a live recording, the sound quality is top notch. In fact, it sounds just as crisp as many artists’ studio work, and manages to capture the intensity of Andy Frasco & The U.N. I’m sure fans already have picked this up, but for the first time listener, it’s a wise investment that will reel you in – or at least it did me.
