Cali rockers Rival Sons have hit it right with this one. Not that their previous albums didn’t blow me away with their refreshing burst of good ol’ rock & roll sound, but their latest effort, Head Down, out now on iTunes, is mmm-mmm good. So many bands find their niche and ride with it, content to churn out albums that are cookie cutter versions of the one that came before. Not these guys. They have their roots, but they manage to keep things fresh, and while they’re not the biggest fans of the constant comparisons to classic rock bands of yore, let’s just say they sound plucked from a different era, and it is a blessed sound, much needed on the musical landscape today. Helmed by Jay Buchanan, he is one of those rare and fantastic frontmen with chameleon-like vocal abilities. He can go from fierce bluesy growl on “Keep on Swinging” to bringing it way down all soft and sweet on songs like “Wild Animal.” This amalgam of bluesy, folksy, jazzy, hard rock-y…? group of guys in Buchanan, Scott Holiday, Mike Miley and Robin Everhart come together to form one kick-ass band with yet another kick-ass album that needs to be heard. By you. Right now.
Rock is a Verb 