CD Review:
Ottawa's Skytone formed back in 2003 as the band Tremolo when the Doddridge brothers Rodney (vocals) and Darius (guitar) joined Terry O'Reilly (bass) and Nolan Rawlings (drums). After rehearsals and a few shows they were signed by The Beautiful Music and released an EP. All My Friends was the label's first release (Beauty 001) and it started the label's rise in the local independent music scene in the nation's capital.
Later that year, Tremolo changed to Skytone and in 2004 the band re-formed losing Nolan Rawlings. O'Reilly took over on drums, Darius played bass and Rodney does double duty on guitar and vocals. The 3-piece debuted on April 26th and worked until they lost O'Reilly at the end of 2005. In early 2006 the brothers were ready to release their first full-length Echoes in all Directions.
The album is a power pop gem reminding you of '90s era Brit-pop mixed with a Steely Dan/Christopher Cross sensibility. The songs are mostly light-hearted breezy affairs led by Rodney's acoustic guitar and stellar voice. Highlights include "The New York Song," a ditty about the Big Apple an the confusion one feels when new to the city, "Springtime," a mellow-toned and harmony-driven track about getting away from it all, and "Just a Little Attention," a Tragically Hip inspired song about a girl needing some face time.
After a few listens you can't help but sing along to most of the songs as Echoes in all Directions is quite infectious. The Doddridge brothers have that special gift of mixing original ideas with the more popular trends from the last 30-plus years to bring a fresh uplifting listen for all but a few to enjoy.
Scott D. Brown
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| Band |
ZZ Top |
| Album Title |
Eliminator |
| Date Of Release |
1983 |
| Genre |
Rock |
| Official Website |
www.zztop.com |
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CD Review:
Take a band that loves the blues, add in savvy lyric writing, synthesizers, attach hillbilly beards and suits, girls with long legs, and a really cool car, and you have a '70s blues band updated for the MTV generation. With the popularity of this album and Afterburner ZZ Top re-entered the mainstream.
Yes, Billy Gibbons is a great blues guitarist (he showed it all through the '70s) and yes, the band can write a catchy song ("Legs" and "Sharp Dressed Man" are two great examples off of this album), but it was the videos that re-sold this Texas band to the listening public.
Like Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, and others, ZZ Top took advantage of the music video to sell an image. Fast cars, fast women, long beards all became the marketing tool for a blues band that re-invented itself for the '80s.
The music is a mix of blues and synthesizer. It seems no band in the '80s of any popularity could get away from the electronic sound that the synthesizer provided. ZZ Top was a fun band with great videos and a nice sound with songs that a pop star would be willing to steal.
Full Spectrum Staff
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