Customer Reviews

Brought Low

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

 

 

The Brought Low's self-titled debut album is a hard rocking call to arms for those who are sick of today's style-over-substance music scene. This is the Real McCoy, a real band who care more about what guitars they play than what tattoos they (don't) have, who put songwriting-sense before fashion-sense and would rather put on a show than strike a pose. "The Brought Low" is a throwback to the days when musicians crafted perfect albums and weren't afraid to sing from the heart and play with both soul and skill. They're a power trio in the classic sense of the term and probably the best band in Brooklyn to which the term "southern rock" might apply. The Brought Low was formed in 1999 by three city kids who learned their trades playing and touring with such NYC stalwarts as Murphy's Law, Sweet Diesel, and The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. They've shared stages with such bands as Nebula, Mike Watt, J Mascis and The Rye Coalition and have built up a dedicated local following thanks to their loud, sweaty and heart-felt live show. Trends come and go, springing out of a vacuum, but other music, the better music, is forged in the tension between tradition and the will to progress. It's no coincidence that the touchstones for this band - slide-guitar strains from the delta, notes borne on a hickory wind blowing through the Appalachians, British hard rock of the 70's variety from the Stones on down, Dixie long-hairs like Skynyrd and ZZ Top, Motor City madmen from the MC5 to the Laughing Hyenas - all felt that same tension. All those bands, and this band too, made music that nodded to yesterday but addressed today. Worthwhile music doesn't pop out fully formed; every good note sounded bears its own weight and still hums with the echoes of the best and brashest notes sounded before it. This isn't a museum piece; this is stuff that knows the past, fills the present, and will still sound real tomorrow.

The Brought Low's self-titled debut album is a hard rocking call to arms for those who are sick of today's style-over-substance music scene. This is the Real McCoy, a real band who care more about what guitars they play than what tattoos they (don't) have, who put songwriting-sense before fashion-sense and would rather put on a show than strike a pose. "The Brought Low" is a throwback to the days when musicians crafted perfect albums and weren't afraid to sing from the heart and play with both soul and skill. They're a power trio in the classic sense of the term and probably the best band in Brooklyn to which the term "southern rock" might apply. The Brought Low was formed in 1999 by three city kids who learned their trades playing and touring with such NYC stalwarts as Murphy's Law, Sweet Diesel, and The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. They've shared stages with such bands as Nebula, Mike Watt, J Mascis and The Rye Coalition and have built up a dedicated local following thanks to their loud, sweaty and heart-felt live show. Trends come and go, springing out of a vacuum, but other music, the better music, is forged in the tension between tradition and the will to progress. It's no coincidence that the touchstones for this band - slide-guitar strains from the delta, notes borne on a hickory wind blowing through the Appalachians, British hard rock of the 70's variety from the Stones on down, Dixie long-hairs like Skynyrd and ZZ Top, Motor City madmen from the MC5 to the Laughing Hyenas - all felt that same tension. All those bands, and this band too, made music that nodded to yesterday but addressed today. Worthwhile music doesn't pop out fully formed; every good note sounded bears its own weight and still hums with the echoes of the best and brashest notes sounded before it. This isn't a museum piece; this is stuff that knows the past, fills the present, and will still sound real tomorrow.

This is the one album I have heard in the past few years that I just cant stop playing. My partner is sick to death of it, giving it even more kudos in my book. I wanna join a band..
Tight, aggressive big bottom end grunt, dirty fat hooks courtesy of strong blues lineage, non-fiction vocals and big drums - great stuff. Gritty hard rock for those who have become punch-drunk and disengaged from the idea that music like this can still exist in the hard rock genre.

I'll keep it short, BUY IT. Actually, buy the other CD too, it's just as good. It takes a lot for me to give a band 5 stars, they have to be outstanding, and this certainly qualifies. Amazing 70's style riff-rock. It's strange they were grouped up in the stoner-rock scene. For one, it's not heavy enough. Two, there isn't any typical downtuned fuzz happening. They play straight-ahead hard rock like Grand Funk, Trapeze, ZZ-Top(70's era), Thin Lizzy, Foghat, James Gang, Humble Pie and Bad Company. They don't sound like any one particular band I just mentioned, they have their own sound. You can definitely hear influences though. If this intrigues in the slightest, I suggest you give it a shot. You will most likey become a life-long fan. 5 stars for the music, 5 stars for the vocals and 4 stars for the production = 5 stars overall.

This band is alright, but seems like it could be better. Some of it sounds like thrown out Led Zeppelin songs. The lead guitar parts are okay, but sometimes it sounds like the singer couldn't think of any more words so instead he played a guitar solo. Also, the singer's voice is a little on the thin side, so beware.

However, even with this negative stuff, I think they are okay. It's nice to hear a band that just plays regular old rock and roll, and I would recommend this to anyone who likes classic rock with out a lot of gimmicks.