There’s a bluesy, whiskey-soaked yearning to the opening strains of ‘Black Rain’ a song that sounds like it could only have been born in the seventies. That is until it hits full sprint with a frenetic almost banjo-like guitar sound that propels it at full tilt before it smooths back down to the a more wistful Blues. It’s more than enough of a taste of the band to entice anyone who loves that Blues-fueled rock of yesterday.
The success of Samarkind’s first single ‘Sun Stroke Heart’, which is up next might mean some will be familiar already with this multi-national hard rock blues group. This single is slicker and classier in style, with a soulful refrain that kicks in a little more righteous groove. It’s ‘Skinny Rivers’ though that gets us back to the sound of the opener, there’s a country vibe underlying it, but smothered in guitar and great backing vocals which allow the melody to ride right through. It’s a cool song and just a little different, with more of an edge than your usual Southern tinged Blues Rock that seems so popular at the minute.
Ahead of their debut album release, Samarkind were recently special guests to Inglorious, live in Dublin Ireland and you can imagine fans of that classic rock outfit really lapping up the sound here. With songs like ‘Good Man Call’ with its quiet, heartfelt beauty and ‘Thru That Door’ all rock and roll bluster showing both sides of the band. There’s something about Samarkind that sets the apart and deserves you attention.
‘Fire and Blood’ which starts the drive towards the finish line is another fine and fiery melodic bluesy rocker of real quality while ‘Touch Stone Man’ strips things right back to take you on a soulful and largely acoustic trip brimming with passion. Closer ‘Blue Mountain’ hits a great groove right away to deliver a sweet and lush mid-tempo blues that builds beautifully to create a fitting climax to a great album.
This debut might be short at just eight tracks and just a tad over 33 minutes but it sure fights above its weight and promises to be one of those albums we’ll be looking back in years to come remembering where it all began. These guys could just go one to do great things.