Sadler Vaden “Sadler Vaden”
Sadler Vaden is mostly known as the guitarist for Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit and Drivin’ N Cryin’ but this LP is sure to put his own name on the map. Vaden’s music is a trove of anthems that recall the late 70’s Zeppelin and 80’s heyday of Southern-rock. The brilliant riffs and soaring harmonies of “You Can’t Have it All” and “Get You High,” will hook you immediately.
Influences of Tom Petty, the Black Crowes and Neil Young permeate most of the album, as “Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs Anymore” has a rich jangle and expert delivery. The production is also very polished on the album’s first half, as it continues on to the more acoustic led second half, you get little treats like the Eagles-like chorus on “Into The Woods” or the slide guitar solo on “Broken Home.” Highly Recommended.
Amazon | Kool Kat Musik
Keegan “Famous Last Words”
Keegan is a true international band with a British singer, German guitarist, French bass player and Austrian drummer – based in the multicultural surroundings of Cologne, Germany. Famous Last Words gives us a very straight on rock album, with a heavier rhythm guitar than expected, “Cross” has a decent hook, falling somewhere in between REM’s “Monster” era and Extreme’s metal pop tendencies.
Unfortunately this band fails to break past the conventional, and with 16 tracks could’ve used an edit. However at the mid-point there are some good power pop tunes shown in “End Of The Century,” “Poison”, “Tongue Tied” and the solid “Go Down In Flames.”
