Soledad Brothers Albums (6)
What The Critics Say
The Soledad Brothers' fifth album, The Hardest Walk, opens with "Truth or Consequences," a solid and gloriously raunchy slice of blues-shot rock & roll that recalls the Rolling Stones in their Sticky Fingers/Exile on Main St. glory days with its gutsy guitar lines and horn accents. But the Soledad Brothers don't seem to be channeling the sound of the Stones so much as their approach on The Hardest Walk. Like those abovementioned albums, The Hardest Walk isn't afraid to make with the rock, and with the band expanded to a quartet for these sessions with the addition of multi-instrumentalist Dechman, songs like "Crooked Crown" and "Good Feeling" are rich and full bodied without sounding cluttered or losing the spaces around the notes. But just as the Stones found as much hard groove and hard soul in their slow and quiet numbers as the rockers, the Soledad Brothers explore the sense of dynamics they discovered on 2003's Voice of Treason, and "Crying Out Loud (Tears of Joy)," "Let Me Down," "True to Zou Zou," and the title song are late-night numbers that add a potent atmosphere to the disc that straight-up guitar wail couldn't have brought them. The Soledad Brothers have obviously learned that their musical world does not begin and end with the messed-up blues-rock of their early days, and The Hardest Walk sounds like their most satisfying offering to date. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'Voice of Treason'
Release Date 9/9/2003
Tracks 13
Label Universal International
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What The Critics Say
While suddenly every garage rock band in creation has started wailing the blues, the Soledad Brothers, who've become one of the leading lights of the roots-punk movement, have decided to try a different angle in their stripped-down blend of raw rock and raw blues on their third studio album -- and first major-label project -- Voice of Treason. While singer and guitarist Johnny Walker, percussionist Ben Swank, and multi-instrumental point man Oliver Henry haven't changed their style much at all on Voice of Treason, they're adjusted their approach, going for a more restrained attack and a cool, late-night vibe on several of the tracks; "Sons of Dogs" is a low-key and languid country blues-styled number, the sensual "Only Flower in My Bed" flows slow and deliberate like a river, and "Lorali" suggests a citified version of a Skip James tune. Of course, the Soledad Brothers do their share of rockin' out as well, especially on the Stones-style leadoff, "Cage That Tiger," the gospel-fired "Lay Down This World," and the swaggering "Ain't It Funny," but while more than a few bands would go out of their way to see how raw and ragged they could make this music, the Soledad Brothers have opted for a more measured attack that's sweaty and soulful but also conscious of the roots of this music, and the album strikes a balance between rock & roll aggression and the more subtle but intense focus of classic blues. Producer Liam Watson (of Toe Rag Studio) produced most of these sessions, and his old-school analog work ethic gives the album an inviting warmth without getting in the way. If you're looking for a wild blues party, Voice of Treason isn't quite it, but if you want to hear musicians who can respect their influences while kicking it out, then the Soledad Brothers are right down your alley. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It doesn't get much more Midwest garage rock than the Soledad Brothers' Live, which features a June 2000 performance of the Detroit/Toledo group at the Motor City's late, lamented Gold Dollar. The mix of integrity and intensity displayed on their albums Soledad Brothers and Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move gets ratcheted up a few notches, as does the length of the songs themselves -- Live covers seven songs in just over half an hour. This elongated approach doesn't always connect, but when it does, it really does: "Goin' Back to Memphis" has a nicely percolating sense of tension and release, as does the even more explosive "Up Jumped the Devil." However, early tracks such as "Stand Up" and "Break Em on Down" fall relatively flat, though that's probably due to the band getting ready to hit their stride more than anything else. Much has been made of the Soledad Brothers' similarity to/fetish for the Stones, and Live brings out that side of the band even more than their studio albums. "Johnny's Death Letter" is positively "Midnight Rambler"-esque, and "Teenage Heart Attack" boasts swaggering drum and guitar lines that bear an uncanny resemblance to "Brown Sugar" without actually ripping that song off. By the time the last song, "Gospel According to John," winds down, it feels like leaving a party too early -- the band has clearly hit its groove and could easily play for another hour. Though it's not the best introduction to the Soledad Brothers' music, Live definitely makes a compelling argument to see the band play whenever possible. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
'Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move'
Release Date 3/19/2002
Tracks 13
Label Estrus
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What The Critics Say
It has been the goal of countless bands to re-awaken the energy of Exile on Main Street-era Rolling Stones into some workable modern sound. Many have tried, but only a few have come close. Detroit's punk-blues upstarts Soledad Brothers have made a brisk career of just such imitation and prove that imitation is itself the sincerest form of irony. On Steal Your Soul and Dare Your Spirit to Move they make no apologies of their fascination with both British and American blues-rock, and imbue all the lifted riffs and self-serving sexual swagger with enough drunken abandon and reckless energy to almost convince you that they are picking up where the Stones themselves left off. The aptly named "Prodigal Stones Blues" cops the signature Stones riffs and tone of the period, and singer Johnny Walker even intones Mick Jagger's vocal quirks. On their own ."32 Blues," where Walker belts oaths and shout-outs overtop fuzzy guitar and greasy saxophone, you are almost convinced that these guys are the real thing. A take on "R.L. Burnside's Michigan Line" reveals the group's more reckless side. He sings: "I was raised in a trailer down by the tracks/Where I would lay and listen to the clackety-clack/That's where I got that hard-drivin' Soledad beat" on his confessional piece "Miracle Birth." Whether that is true or just a bunch of sycophantic blues imagery hardly matters. When Walker sings it, he believes it, and that just may be enough. ~ John Duffy, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Guitarist/vocalist Johnny Walker presents a faux southern minister's drawl for much of the record, and while some of the tracks become repetitive ("Gospel According to John"), they are saved by Walker's Delta bluesman-derived style of fingerpicking between the bass and treble strings on his guitar. This helps to fill out the bass-less sound of the duo. Drummer Ben Swank keeps his playing straightforward for much of the record, adding fills only where they're needed ("Front St. Front," "Gimme Back My Wig"). Swank also knows where to add feeling and depth, such as on "The Weight of the World," where he only accents the first beat of every measure with his drums for the first half of the song until the tension builds and the full drum kit enters. Walker and Swank also manage to sound like a more threatening and haunting version of the "Play With Fire"-era Rolling Stones on tracks like "Mysterious Ways" and "Handle Song." This is a raw album that should be well liked by fans of the British Invasion and blues artists such as John Lee Hooker and Honeyboy Edwards. ~ Stephen Howell, All Music Guide
