Customer Reviews

Bluff City Ruckus

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album is a stripped down, no frills rockin' good time! The band, with the mildly strange name, hails from Memphis Tennessee and the infuence of such a legendary place is heard in the music. The sounds of several generations of music come together to form an entirely new blend of blues and rock. With a wailing harmonica and a driving drum beat you can't help but shake and twist along. After seeing what can only be described by this reviewer as the best rock show in recent history, nothing more was needed to convince me...these guys are legends for the next generation. They give us hope that rock music will carry on in a way that is both progressive and still rooted in its blues ancestry. This cd is an essential to anyone who fancies themselves a true fan of rock music or if you just want something new and original and completely refreshing. No pop here...just 100% rock and roll.

As I once heard David Letterman say - this is a "tear up the place and go home with the waitress" kind of band. This is bare bones gutsy blues turned up about 15 notches. I first saw this band as they opened for Aerosmith/KISS in December 2003. Before the first song was over, I was completely blown away. This is like nothing I've heard before. It reminds me of Jimi Hendrix Blues, but it's got more punch.

The stripped down sound with minimal drums (actually a suitcase with snare and tamborine bolted on) and outstanding harmonica is great. And the rhythm/slide guitar work is great. This like nothing else you have heard and this is likely something you will want to hear more of.

Great album, pure and simple. The Porch Ghouls get down to the nitty gritty roots of Delta Blues. This is what originally made rock and roll back when it was rock and roll. It's great to hear something again that has grit, soul, heart, and passion. This is not for the faint at heart. This is the real enchilada!

Pretty damn good for a first album. Its a kind of Gomez goes Beefheart kind of thing, with some Nashville undertones...

I leave it to you, but give it a listen.

The biggest problems with "Porch Ghouls" are that is quite repetitious, tiresome, muddy, and also repetitious. Did I mention that the tracks sound largely the same? The vocals conjure up the spirit of Jim Dandy, front man for the dreadful Black Oak Arkansas, the guitars drone and waver, the harmonica eventually drives you mad like a mosquito hovering near your ear in a dark room.

The premise here is to take the blues, fuse it with the energy of punk, and deliver something new. New it is; good it isn't. The Gourds pull this sort of fusion off, but the jumble of sound here offers little listening pleasure. While I can admire their energy and tenacity, I see no reason to grant this CD shelf space, much less repeated listenings.

Oh, Joe Perry from Aerosmith produced and sponsored this recording. I discovered this fact after buying the CD. Be forewarned.