<\/p>\n
What was new in 1966, isn\u2019t new anymore. <\/p>\n
That statement might seem as obvious as the sun, but it\u2019s hard to avoid going there when your subject is a blues-rock trio that positions itself musically as a direct descendent of Cream and Led Zeppelin and Stevie Ray Vaughan. What was once fresh and startling\u2014blues numbers amped up with bruising, aggressive electric guitar\u2014is now oh so familiar.<\/p>\n
What that means is, if you\u2019re going to go there, you\u2019d best be good, not to mention a hundred percent committed. Fortunately, Stubborn Son\u2014Garrett Lamp on guitar and lead vocals, Andrew Knapp on bass and vocals, and Blair Daly on drums and vocals\u2014have both the talent and the commitment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Broken Heart Proof\u201d bursts out of the gate with a shotgun riff that suggests the ghost of SRV was in the room when it was composed. That headlong hard-blues drive propels the song all the way through, punctuated by a nice breakdown and reprise near the close.<\/p>\n
Stubborn Son, like their many predecessors, get a big sound out of a trio by cranking up the guitar and keeping the overall sound raw and electric in the vein of Jack White or early Black Keys. Birthright<\/i> was recorded on \u201ca beautiful vintage analogue console\u201d and it has that warm, echoey, classic sound.<\/p>\n
That initial feel extends through \u201cMake Believe\u201d and \u201cCatch Me Runnin\u2019,\u201d chunky slices of \u201970s-influenced blues-rock, before the boys take a small detour as \u201cThick As Blood\u201d brings in slide guitar for a ride down into the swamps. By the time you get to \u201cVixen\u201d and \u201cVoices,\u201d a gospel-blues influence surfaces in the lyrics, which call out the devil and make it clear there\u2019s a contest underway between good and evil. \u201cVoices\u201d in particular has a menacing feel, a slow grinder of a number with a big, atmospheric solo.<\/p>\n
The equally dark \u201cAll Saints\u201d extends the religious imagery against a lurching, playful rhythm, before Knapp takes the lead vocal for \u201cFall For This,\u201d which initially has more of a soul feel to it, before gaining muscle on the choruses. It\u2019s a nice change of pace that sets up closer \u201cMake Your Heart Stop,\u201d a smoldering number that cements the impression of Stubborn Son as a band that means it.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s really what it comes down to when you\u2019re treading familiar ground in a genre that\u2019s all about passion and feel. You can\u2019t hold back or strike a pose, and these guys don\u2019t. Stubborn Son play like they mean it, and that makes all the difference. Birthright<\/i> is a powerhouse debut from this Seattle trio, an album rippling with blues-rock energy and total commitment.<\/p>\n
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