Unleashed

This debut 1999 release by these Southern blues/blues-rock based musicians has a lot going for it, not the least of which is some very fine musicianship. This is music for putting the top down on a classic '60s Impala and crusin' down the road. Motoring down the highway and then all the small back roads of the southern countryside including the bayous and levees of swamp country. Listen to the feelings behind the acoustic "Bayou Country," and if let your mind go you are in that laid back area of James Lee Burke country with the moss is hanging from the giant oaks that line the roadways of towns like New Iberia. Then the standout "Another Day," with Spencer Bohren assisting with some beautiful guitar work and harmony vocal. There are the swinging tones of "Fact of the Matter," followed by one of the most offbeat versions of "Heartbreak Hotel" I have ever heard. This group powered by JAB Wilson's harmonica and David Cousar's to-the-fact guitar playing. Whether it is the driving blues of "Florida Bound" or the cool slow jazzy blues of "Bye-Bye" this band puts forth the effort need to make it to the finish line in good position.