Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Soundtrack to the Summer of '73, June 15, 2006
Imagine for a moment that its 1973. Its summer, you've stolen a dimebag from your uncle's tacklebox and you've met your friends at the rock quarry on the edge of town. So you roll down the windows in your canary yellow Nova, push in your new 8-Track, and try to have your way with your poor-man's-Marcia-Brady of a girlfriend. That's Howlin Rain. Sounds like a collision between the Grateful Dead-Blue Cheer-Black Oak Arkansas and maybe a dash of Faces-era Rod Stewart.
What spirit motivated someone to make this record in 2006 is beyond me, but I'm glad that the planets aligned and Howlin Rain made ths incredible record. I'm a big fan of both Comets on Fire and especially Sunburned Hand of the Man, but this record eclipses any expectation I might've had about what Howlin Rain could do or be. This album is a time capsule for me, as it captures the sights and smells and sounds of a distinct period of my life.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh my goodness..., March 14, 2007
I bought this based on the reviews comparing it to 60's and 70's rock, and because the band has ties to Comets on Fire (who I really dig).
I was expecting something 60's and 70's...
What I got, was something wholly different.
This is the most original and new sounding album I've heard in a long time. It's progressive folk rock, if there is such a thing. The solo on "Calling Lightning" can be tough to deal with the first time through, but by my third listen, I found tears welling up in my eyes every time it roars through my speakers. This is absolutely awesome and totally original, and if you're open to trying new things you should definitely pick this up. I DO NOT skip any tracks when I listen to this album. I'm trying to think of anything negative to warn people about, but I really can't find anything. If you're looking for the 60's and 70's this will shock and frighten you. If you were born way too late for the 60's and 70's, but appreciate the music from that time period, then you may want to check this out. It is NOT about nostalgia, but about pushing the limits of folk rock music. This album rocks. It rocks hard at times. I won't bother making comparisons, because this DOES NOT compare to anything else out there. Listen to it, if only to find out what a band this original sounds like. Most bands have a strong comparison that can be drawn, but there really is not one for Howlin' Rain. A totally new kind of monster in the music community. I can't wait for their next album.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Raise a Glass to the Hard Rockin' People, August 6, 2006
Whoa,
At times this might be the album Gram Parsons and Keith Richards would've recorded together, or some smokin' Dead outtakes, but then there's the napalm firestorm distortion of "Calling Lightning with a Scythe" or over-amped coronary of "Rollin' On Rusted Days", and it's more like Steve Marriot wailing lead vox for a steroid juiced Moby Grape.
A Bizarro Universe "Beggar's Banquet", featuring fearless guitar squawk & fuzz-wah excess, hypnotically simple riffs, and long songs that aren't long enough.
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by Howlin Rain 
