Customer Reviews

El Rojo

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

 

 

El Rojo is the second full-length album from The Bakerton Group, otherwise known as Clutch. The Bakerton Group allows the members of Clutch to make some very different music than the heavy stoner rock they're so well known for. The Bakerton Group's all instrumental work is hard to pin down. They're very much a jam band, but there are psychedelic, blues, jazz, and of course stoner elements to their sound. Clutch meets the Alex Skolnick Trio perhaps?

The band is joined by Opeth's Per Wiberg on El Rojo, and his keyboard and especially organ work fits right into The Bakerton Group's style. Honestly, is there any kind of rock music that doesn't sound better when you add an organ? You have to admire the band's instrumental prowess. This isn't exactly progressive rock, but the musicianship here is pretty impressive. Of course the down side of this free-form jam band stuff is that the songs have no real structure at all. It's hard to tell when one song ends and the next begins, and the whole meandering nature of the album lost it's appeal about halfway through when I started wondering if it was going anywhere.

El Rojo is obviously a niche album. Clutch fans will want to check it out, even though it doesn't sound much like that band's work. Other than that, you can see its appeal to stoner rock fans in general, especially when they're, you know, stoned. It's good music to chill out to, and that's something we could all use from time to time.

If you like Clutch for their lyrics this might not be for you but if you like their music it's a must. It does have a little bit of a jazz feel on a couple of tracks which works, well. This is one of my favorite road trip albums. It'll make you want to take the scenic route.

Great album. I am a long time fan of Clutch and would recommended this album to anyone who owns few of their CDs. The best way to describe this album is some super groovy instrumental Clutch.

I discovered this by accident and now The Bakerton Group is one of my new favorites. I love the songs, the arrangements, and the drumming. I am not so good at describing music. And I am not sure how some folks would categorize this music, if that matters to you. For sure, you do NOT need to be a Clutch fan to dig The Bakerton Group.

Give it a listen. Highly recommended.

I'm a huge Clutch fan, so I took right to The Bakerton Group. It allows the band to show off their versatility, covering several styles and ideas. If you love Clutch, you'll love Bakerton.