Rival Sons : Pressure and Time

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by Erik Tweedy
Staff Writer

Now here’s an impressive release that’s a little different coming out of Los Angeles. Rival Sons unleashes something that feels so ultra-cool and hip to listen to that you’ll want to break out your bell bottoms and platform shoes. Mixing old-school funk and blues straight out of the ‘60s and ‘70s with a twist of Wolfmother and the Black Crows, Rival Sons may soon be crashing through the door of superstardom.

There are so many different influences on Pressure and Time that it is difficult to pin down what their real deal is. Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream, the Who, Blue Suede and Steppenwolf are all worshipped here. Opening with “All Over the Road,” Rival Sons set the pace of a funky trip down a very hip road with a fuzz-infused old-school sound that is upbeat and downright fun to listen to. “Young Love” opens like an old-school Johnny Cash number that turns into something you might hear playing in the background of a Quentin Tarantino movie. In fact, this entire release sounds like the greatest movie soundtrack ever. It is all over the place and smells of cigarette smoke, sweaty women and Vincent Vega.

By the time you reach the title track, you have slipped into a 1972 haze filled Super Fly night at the movies. The funk is just oozing out of your speakers. “Only One” is a blues number that will have you hitting the repeat button, assuming you can see it through the haze. The Hendrix-inspired “Get Mine,” clocking in at a bit over two minutes, is a flat-out jamming song with a tasty little solo at the 1:30 mark, and “Burn Down Los Angeles” is filled with enough guitar fuzz to stuff your teddy bear.

Not even 20 minutes into the disc and already at track seven, “Save Me” continues your time warp back to when musicians actually could play their instruments. Musically, these guys are great, and vocally, Buchanan is slamming it on every track. “Gypsy Heart” is a standout track with plenty of solid guitar work from Scott Holiday and some tasty bass licks from Robin Everhart. Rounding out this strangely terrific release is “Face of Light,” a Zeppelin-inspired, mid-tempo love song that is the perfect way to finish off this release.

While not creating anything entirely new, Pressure and Time is a great disc that welcomes you back to a time when rock and roll was just plain good fun to listen to. Fans of classic rock will really dig this release, and there is plenty here to bring new fans into the genre. This release surely will make it on to a lot of top 10 lists for 2011.

Band:
Jay Buchanan: Vocals
Scott Holiday: Guitar
Robin Everhart: Bass
Mike Miley: Drums

Track Listing:
All Over the Road
Young Love
Pressure and Time
Only One
Get Mine
Burn Down Los Angeles
Save Me
Gypsy Heart
White Noise
Face of Light

Label: Earache Records

Website: http://www.rivalsons.com/

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.4/10