Customer Reviews

Steal Your Soul & Dare Your Spirit to Move

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The Soledad Brothers haven't reinvented the wheel but they do a nice job of being what they try and be. They aren't a blues band any more than other rock-blues types are: Rolling Stones, ZZ Top etc. They are a rock band that borrows sounds and riffs from the blues but never really falls over the fence as a blues band.

The album is good from top to bottom and if you've enjoyed the sounds of the White Stripes De Stijl album or the Detroit Cobras then the Soledad Brothers will likely have a sound that appeals to you.

The second record of the Soledad Brothers is a lot more experimental than their previous release. This record demonstrates a mellower side of the band as well as songs which are not entirely bluesy. If you are a big fan of the Soledad Brothers, than I would recommend this album so that you may hear a different side of the band. I would not recommend this album to anyone who is not a solid fan.

In an decade where the over-produced and under-talented prevail, a new generation of stripped down blues bands are doing their part to save the face of modern music. The Soledad Brothers, along with fellow mod-blues bands the White Stripes and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, have taken the Delta mainstream, repackaging it for a 21st century audience. This new brand of energized, post-punk blues, takes its influence from Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and other blues pioneers, while maintaining a distinctly modern sound.

Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move is the Soledad Brother's contribution to the 21st century blues revival. Playing a blues-driven rockabilly reminiscent of early George Thorogood, Johnny Walker of the Soledad Brother holds his own on the slide guitar. The self-proclaimed "prince among thieves" lent his slide talents to the White Stripes on their 1999 self-titled debut album. Jack White of the White Stripes returned the favor, serving as producer on Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move, the Soledad Brothers' sophomore effort.

Hailing from Toledo, the Soledad Brothers is primarily a two-man band, consisting of Johnny Walker on slide guitar and harmonica, and Benny Swank on drums. On Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move, the two are accompanied by third member Oliver Henry on sax, guitar, and piano. The trio glide through the albums 13 tracks, making the 45 minute album feel short. Although the music is good, the CD is far from perfect. Some tracks sound redundant, and others lag. Overall, Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move is a good early effort by a band that is sure to strengthen in the years to come.

Is this a joke? Is this a parody? Save your money and buy anything by John Lee Hooker instead.

I'm a big fan of the blues, Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf, Son House.. It's very refreshing to see 3 young white dudes pay their homage to the blues, cause it's those old blues artists who made rock'n'roll what it is today. Soledad Brothers mix a great blend of punk, garage and blues and the singer sounds like an arrogant Jagger wannabe, wich in my view is a compliment! No fancy solos or arrangements, just pure energy! If you're into whiteboy blues, don't even bother to check next Johnny Lang album out, get the real deal instead..

In my opinion, what the Soledad Brothers are doing is the forefront of current music. Guitar music is generally an overproduced affair, and it is so great to hear these guys _raw_. I get the same feeling listening to this as I do with jazz: sophisticated art. (Sophisticated seems such a contradiction, but there it is.)

I saw these guys opening for Hope Sandoval and thought they were the weirdest band I'd ever seen. Why on earth were these young dudes playing blues, or at least bluesy stuff? It seemed so incongrous. At the time they reminded me of the Stooges, but this was probably influenced by their Detroit origins. Now, if I had to compare them to anyone, I'd say Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and a little Fleetwood Mac with Danny Kirwan fronting on the Chicago album. But they are also on the same tip as Elmore James and good Howlin' Wolf, not Stevie Ray Vaughn, Johnny Lang, or any of this other glossed-over blues bar band tripe.

Plus they have a song recorded right to an aluminum or acetate (or whatever) disk, just like Lomax in the field! Pretty interesting.

See also Mr. Airplane Man, especially their album Red Light.

In an decade where the over-produced and under-talented prevail, a new generation of stripped down blues bands are doing their part to save the face of modern music. The Soledad Brothers, along with fellow mod-blues bands the White Stripes and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, have taken the Delta mainstream, repackaging it for a 21st century audience. This new brand of energized, post-punk blues, takes its influence from Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and other blues pioneers, while maintaining a distinctly modern sound.

Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move is the Soledad Brother's contribution to the 21st century blues revival. Playing a blues-driven rockabilly reminiscent of early George Thorogood, Johnny Walker of the Soledad Brother holds his own on the slide guitar. The self-proclaimed "prince among thieves" lent his slide talents to the White Stripes on their 1999 self-titled debut album. Jack White of the White Stripes returned the favor, serving as producer on Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move, the Soledad Brothers' sophomore effort.

Hailing from Toledo, the Soledad Brothers is primarily a two-man band, consisting of Johnny Walker on slide guitar and harmonica, and Benny Swank on drums. On Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move, the two are accompanied by third member Oliver Henry on sax, guitar, and piano. The trio glide through the albums 13 tracks, making the 45 minute album feel short. Although the music is good, the CD is far from perfect. Some tracks sound redundant, and others lag. Overall, Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move is a good early effort by a band that is sure to strengthen in the years to come.

OUCH! This record is painful to listen to. What the world really needs now is another bunch of young white boys wanting to get down and bluesy. The singer's voice is awful - his attempts to howl the blues would make a dog laugh. "Prodigal Stones Blues" is aptly titled as it's basically a very limp re-write of the Rolling Stones "Soul Survivor". The most pathetic thing about this tepid band is how serious they take themselves (see their liner notes) as barers of the blues torch. Fellas, you make Johnny Lang look like Howlin Wolf.
This band has received a bit of attention due to their White Stripes/Detroit connection - I'm sure they would've gone completely unnoticed otherwise. It would be a very, very sad thing if even one young garage rock fan out there buys this album before buying something by Mississippi Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Hound Dog Taylor, Jimmy Reed, The Rolling Stones...Christ, they should buy almost anything before buying this.