Customer Reviews

Kingdom of Heaven Must Be Taken By Storm

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Entrance, real name Guy Blakeslee, is a rock prodigy and the most genuine artist since I can't remember when. His music is influenced by the old delta blues, such as Robert Johnson, but unlike other artists who simply try to imitate older music, Entrance keeps his influences in the back of his mind and lets his soul write the music. All the raw emotion packed into his tracks explodes from the radio and will overwhelm you. I would relate Entrance and his style, retro lyrics, and original guitar playing to that of the White Stripes. But, to be frank, Entrance blows Jack White out of the water. Entrance is who Jack White wants to be, tries to be, but never will be; he is a better, more innovative guitar player, better, more genuine songwriter, and has a much better voice than Jack's by far. This record is a must for anybody into the new rock scene of the Strokes, the White Stripes, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs and for those into classic rock and blues. Also, although the album is great it is nothing compared to Entrance's live performances, so an Entrance show is a must-see. Enjoy.

In an age of rock/blues revivalists such as the White Stripes, Entrance is like a breath of fresh air between so much that is artificial. From the beautiful yet bewildering opener of "Valium Blues," to the irreverent cover of Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," (here renamed to "Tommy Thumb's Summertime Blues,) this album is brooding with a mix of raw emotions.
With vocals that fall between Jeff Buckley and an all night speed binge, and some of the most original guitar work heard in years, 'The Kingdom of Heaven...' may not be an instant classic, but will surely be appreciated for years to come.

Guy Blakeslee's debut solo effort is, in a word, substantial. The album is undoubtably one of the best combinations of legitamate blues with a subtle folk influenced undertone. The music is all fairly unique, the guitar stye displayed here is very atypical, and very gripping. The lyrics on the originals are mostly a pleasant surprise, both clever, relevant, and wholly introspective. The cover songs are also very good, and are both at least as good as their original incarnations(if not possibly more interesting at times). Some say the singing is harsh, but I see it more as a mellow and heartfelt yelp, and I rather like it. This album is recommended mostly to fans of early delta-blues, but would also be recommended to fans of folk music(protest folk mostly). Conversely, I dont really recommend the album to those of an exclusively mainstream radio taste, this is not for you.

In an age of rock/blues revivalists such as the White Stripes, Entrance is like a breath of fresh air between so much that is artificial. From the beautiful yet bewildering opener of "Valium Blues," to the irreverent cover of Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," (here renamed to "Tommy Thumb's Summertime Blues,") this album is brooding with a mix of raw emotions.
With vocals that fall between Jeff Buckley and an all night speed binge, and some of the most original guitar work heard in years, 'The Kingdom of Heaven...' may not be an instant classic, but will surely be appreciated for years to come.

i saw entrance back in march with the yeay yeah yeahs and he blew me away. He was the opening act and this one man band came on to the stage and at first i thought it was a joke but once he started playing i was hooked. He has an awesome set of blues/folk songs that is just candy to my ears. i just got the cd today and it is just as awesome as when i saw him live. im a sucker for blues guitar rock and this guy has got it. this cd will definitely be on my playlist for a while right there with the soledad brothers.

Entrance is the work of Guy Blakeslee, who previously made music with the band The Convocation Of... On his debut full-length, Kingdom of Heaven, Blakeslee cops the madcap tendencies of previous psych-folk troubadours like Syd Barrett and Skip Spence, but fails to approach their legendary heights (highs?). Instead of aping the cracked genius of his musical forefathers, this record sounds like one's pharmacologically damaged neighbor sitting on the corner protesting the protest song with his head aflame. Which is one way of saying, it's cracked, but not genius. Unfortunately the novelty and fun of this sort of thing wears off as soon as one realizes that the crosswalk signal has stopped flashing its red hand. Sure brother, I'll spare a dime; just stick to the burgundy and lay off the harder stuff.

That said, some people may find Blakeslee's open-tuned, hyper-strummed and eccentric-styled folk/blues interesting in smaller doses. The best track by far on this album comes early, with a reworking of Skip James' "I'm So Glad." It is a spirited rendition, infused with a spluttering sincerity and ramshackle guitar work. However, this track is also an example of how the aforementioned neighbor often does better with others' material. Taking tried and true classics and giving them a different spin can often yield pleasant surprises and grab the attention of otherwise disinterested listeners. Yet the trick is to keep those listeners around once one moves into original content.

Blakeslee doesn't really succeed in doing this for a variety of reasons. The main problem is that too many of these tracks end up sounding the same for too long. More than half of them are four-plus minutes while a couple clock in at over six. Loose and rambling explorations can often make for a thrilling ride when they go somewhere, but if they are content to merely circle back on themselves things can be quite a drag. As a result, many of these tracks would benefit from some editing. If these selections were whittled down a bit, this could have been a pretty decent EP of space cadet blues.

Another reason that these songs don't live up to the second track's promise is that Blakeslee's vocals drip with an overwrought earnestness that soon weighs on the listeners' ears. In fact, his decision to stretch and elongate every word ends up turning his vocals into little more than a droning presence that one increasingly wishes to tune out. It's a shame too, 'cause some of his unorthodox guitar work is worth checking out. Some more variation in phrasing and a couple more uptempo tracks a la the James' cover would do much to remedy this situation and lift this album out of its fog.

All of this may seem a bit harsh, and it is regrettably so. Blakeslee is definitely impassioned and sincere. But for now, one would have to concede that Entrance is more noun than verb. Blakeslee has clearly opened the door of perception on his debut. Let's hope that his following efforts are as entrancing as his name suggests.

Barin McGrath
Junkmedia.org Review

Entrance aka Guy Blakeslee (does everyone have two names?) has been rocking his brand of "Anti-Folk" for a few years now. He is Baltimore part of the Devendra Banhart/Joanna Newsome assault on anything fabricated. But unlike them Entrance hasn't perfected his live act. Most people find him hard to listen to. On record, he seems to make more sense. If you smoke a lot of pot, that will help. His psychedelic take on T. Rex and Bob Dylan is brilliant. Entrance explores the work of blues legend Skip James. The cover of "I'm So Glad" recalls how people like Cream and Led Zeppelin were obsessed with early blues too. He lacks a sense of humor, and childishness, that is the key ingredient with his friend, Banhart, and a love for the blues only goes so far. But he's on tour now with Cat Power, so at least Entrance is somehow affecting other bands, if not really moving his audience.

(www.freewilliamsburg.com)