Customer Reviews

Heated

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It literaly is. Big Sugar is one of the loudest bands to ever make music. Other musicians use the same amount of equipment to play rooms two or three times the size of the usual BS show. And thats exactly how their music should be heard. Loud. So when you put their disc in turn the volume up to full and prepare to have your fillings rocked loose. From the muddied bass lines to the screaming guitar lines to the howling-ly cool harmonica, Big Sugar will reach into your soul and pound a smile onto your face. In an age of electronic this and computerized that these Canadian bluesmen rely only on the fact that people still want to see a cool show(it doesn't get any cooler than doubleneck guitars) and leave with a belly full of beer and a ring in the ears. As for their newest realease, it can be summed up in one word. COOL.

An oft overlooked cd in a decade that brought us Nirvana & Pearl Jam.
With a sound often described as "Billy Gibbons wakes up in a Kingston Jamaica Jail after a bender", this cd featuring heavy distortion marinaded riffs, with crunching stadium rock power chords,tight melodies & harmonies, and reggae influenced undertones. The production on this cd alone is amazing, as is the guest vocal from Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule on the Canadian Classic 'Let it Ride'.
If you're a rock n' Roll fan, and this doesn't appeal to you, you need help!!

I bought this CD about 2 years ago, and I still listen to it very much. Since then I bought Big Sugars' newest CD, 'Brothers and Sisters, Are You Ready?' recently.
This album has a great mix of various tunes, which are very unique. From 'Turn the Lights On', which is a reggae type song, to the heavy guitar in 'Kickin' Stones', this album truly has great variety. It blends many kinds of music, from rock and roll to reggae, using a wide variety of instruments.
If you want to listen to something new, I highly recommend this.

Gordie Johnson goes back to his guitar hero persona with a vengeance with this CD, but he may have been better served to rely more heavily on the talents of the saxophone and harmonica (especially harmonica) of Kelly Hoppe. Big Sugar had their biggest artistic triumph with the blues guitar and wailing harp of "500 Pounds," and they followed it up reasonably well with "Hemi-Vision." "Heated" is a step back. Not one of the tracks is weak, but there is nothing definitive about any of them. In fact, the best track on the CD is a cover of Randy Bachman's "Let it Ride." It sounds great, but it's hardly cutting edge. That's the problem with this CD; there's really nothing on it that hasn't been said before and to greater effect. Johnson's breakout CD was his blues-rock "500 Pounds." While I understand that he may not want to be pegged as just a blues artist, he may want to stick a bit closer to these roots so that he doesn't continue to lose his focus.

Think three parts ZZ Top mixed with one part reggae and one part techno and you've got the recipe for great infectious groove rock with a hybrid '70s-'90s sound. Very cool. The CD is well produced too.

Well. it's a little after the fact now. as B.S. has broken up and moved on. Add them to the list of "shoulda been big" bands that somehow got lost in the shuffle. Never had the pleasure of seeing these guys live, but it had to have been amazing! You can tell by the tone what the volume levels must have been like in concert. An original take on heavy rock that will be sorely missed. Do yourself a favor and pick up on all their cd's...and hope for a reunion!

Most guitar-rock recordings overdo everything, but not here. Producer-guitarist-singer-songwriter Gordie Johnson cranks up the growly, crunchy guitars, of course, but keeps the drums, singing, and bass unexpectedly dry. That leaves space for echoing keyboards, keening harmonica, and even some reggae-style vocal testifying. While Johnson is no Bob Dylan or Elvis Costello as a songwriter, he's a sonic genius who has called this style "Black Uhuru meets Black Sabbath." That's a pretty good description.

Turn on the lights is the best song ever writen, in rock history. Mix of reggae and rock... :-)

Big Sugar are absolute proof that big, crunchy hard rock is still a viable medium - if it is approached with a little flair, innovation and guts. This swampy, broiling mix of ZZ-approved guitar, BTO crunch (check out the wild cover of "Let It Ride"!) and dub rhythms is without a doubt one of the best albums produced this year. Swallow some Big Sugar today!

This is the best music.Good base.Awesome sound