Author: Peter Gregory | Published: October 23rd, 2009

Yeah the dude sounds like Jack White - Get over it!

I have heard it from just about everyone as soon as the vocals for 'Ain't No Rest For The Wicked' begin and to be honest I completely agree. The lead singer, Matt Shultz, definitely has a voice that is a close comparison to Jack White's, but if you listen to the rest of the record (can I really call them records anymore, maybe I should have stated cd) you will notice where he has his own voice so to speak. In fact on their own website I found a perfect quote from Matt himself that would relate to this situation...

“A lot of bands put themselves in a box and say, ‘We’re not going to be influenced by anything,’ Matt says. “We don’t mind being influenced though. I don’t think you should force influence but to fight against it would be like fighting against nature. You have a responsibility to innovate but a lot of the time people allow pretentiousness to taint their innovation and what you end up with is very contrived soulless music. Everything we love about music we wanted to putin our own music. When it comes down to it, we just want to make music that we love.”

Now that we have that out of the way lets get on with a review of what I find to be a not only a very engaging album on the surface, but one that spews honesty and musical integrity. I wouldn't say it is ground breaking by any means, but the songwriting is solid and the musical influences are blended nicely to bring something to the table that feels refreshingly new and familiar all the same. I am not quite sure how the general consensus is going to play out among critics as I have already heard a few negative things in the industry, but personally I think it is a solid album. The lyrics of 'In One Ear' actually relate to this specifically:

"Here's the moral to the story,
We don't do it for the glory,
We don't do it for the money,
We don't do it for the fame
So all the critics who despise, go ahead and criticize,
It's your tyranny that drives us, adds the fire to our flames"

As for the break out song 'Ain't No Rest For The Wicked' you can definitely expect to hear that one on the beaches and rivers throughout summer 2009. It is a great song and will last well beyond that, but I expect that one to be a hit amongst party goers soaking up the sun. These 5 guys from Kentucky have hit upon something here. They provide a good ole southern rock/slide guitar mix and aren't afraid to mix in anything form a hip hop type vocal cadence as well as utilize staples of the alternative,punk rock, blues, and bluegrass niches. The creative use of their influences are what will carry them to success and beyond.....and I look forward to the ride.

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