Joetown Releases "Pills and Ammo"
When I write a CD review, I like to pop the disc in, crank the volume, and just let it flow over me, and get some initial feelings without trying to analyze it too much.
When I did this on the latest Joetown CD, first thing that came to mind, was "Wow! This CD sounds great!"
I first should give a disclaimer, as I almost NEVER say this about a CD! I think production values have fallen, especially in the past few years, with each new CD trying to be louder than the previous one, brickwalled limited, and WAY too "digital" sounding. I usually get the feeling that everything was cut and pasted together with ProTools and never even played by the band, etc
I DON'T GET THAT WITH the new Joetown CD!
This
CD is VERY well produced, without sounding too polished, and I get the
feeling that everyone actually played these tunes. It WAS probably done
in ProTools, but it sounds VERY "analog!"
The
first tune up is called "Hole in My Soul." It's a good track to start
the CD. Nice "voice box" effect that doesn't sound too gimmicky. I
start to think of Guns and Roses, mixed with some early Aerosmith, but
NOT enough to sound copied. I immediately like this tune. I predict it
to be one of my favorites! ;-)
Second on the
plate is 'Finger.' It has a bass i, and I'm usually a sucker for those.
This tune has what I like to call a 'Shuffle Feel.' Early Aerosmith
immediately jumps into my mind. Nice hard edge, but with a cool groove
that pulls you into it. I really like the guitar solo break that's
doubled and delayed.
Third up, is 'Lonely Town
Blues,' which has a kick drum intro with a syncopated guitar riff/vocal
riff. If you took an Aerosmith tune, mixed in some good Whitesnake and
Led Zep, you probably get a cake that "tastes" like this! Nice slide
guitar work here, also.
Fourth tune comes up and
I immediately notice a change. Right away I think "Harder," a killer
sweet guitar tone on the fills. This tune is called "Crash" and it
almost gives the impression of a totally different band, but not really
... The main riff is a bit simplistic, but sometimes the simple things
are the best, and I notice a "Rainbow-ish" solo. Ritchie would be
proud. It has a nice groove that makes you want to do a bit of head
banging.
'All My Angels' is the fifth tune and so
far, along with the first track, this is my favorite. Again, I think of
early Aerosmith, with a nice hard and heavy feel. Nice groove that
you'll notice moving your head too. Smoky, whiskey-drenched-sounding
vocals complement the groove perfectly.
"American
Alter" is up next. After the heaviness of "All My Angels" this is a
dramatic changeup. It's laid back, with an immediate 'Guns and Roses'
feel, especially in the prechorus. Voice box-type effect on the chorus
proper, again, not gimmicky, just cool. I like the Telecaster-type
guitar solo break, with another 'Rainbow"-ish solo toward the end. This
tune is cool, but perhaps a bit too long. If I was playing producer, I
would have cut it a little shorter.
If "American
Alter" was a changeup, the next tune is a 180-degree swap. It's called
"LA Tuning" and is totally acoustic, with just the vocals and the AC
guitar. Nice smooth vocals, lots of feeling, and you find yourself
really listening to the story.
If Robert Johnson
was still alive, he would be playing "Devil as Woman." This is track 8,
but it's only just a taste of Robert as it's just an intro to track 9,
"Broken Man."
"Broken Man" has a cool Guitar/Bass
intro. I'm a BIG believer in cool intros! This can make or break a
tune, in my opinion. First thing that pops into my mind, is I've got
this tune cranked, and riding a big bike, with straight pipes, lots of
low end torque, and my hair blowing into the wind, riding into the
sunset. This becomes a fav, along with "Hole in My Soul" and "All My
Angels." Nice little guitar solo complements this driving song
completely.
10th track is just an intro, that immediately brings on visions of Van Halen. It's called "Tres Mujeres" (3 women).
When the 11th track starts, you immediately know things have changed. It's VERY aggressive, probably the most aggressive on the CD. It makes me want to run around the studio, shaking my fist, and banging my head...and this is a good thing! ;-)
If anything, this last
track is a bit short, at just over 3 mins. It's a great tune to end the
CD with. Most CDs end with a whimper ... instead of a bang!
OK ... I'm at the end of my first listen. On a scale from 1 to 5, I'd have to say 3.5. This, to me, is a great score -- with the current state of affairs in CDs, there are few that I'd rate this high. It seems in this digital download/iPod world, no one puts out CDs that are nice and solid. A few decent tunes, here and there, and a LOT of filler tracks! Happily, Joetown's "Pills and Ammo" isn't one of them. It's well worth the price, whether it be iTunes, CDBaby, or an Amazon purchase of the real deal.
If you like hard rock, you'll like this CD. If you don't, you'll still probably like some of it. How can you go wrong?
