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The Jim Crouch Band - Liberty
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 Jim Crouch and his band are rolling out a new album titled “Liberty.” The title is very apt considering we are currently trying to liberate an oppressed country. Is there also a direct correlation to that with name of the label, Bombshell Records?
It may be a bit of irony or a sardonic message, but I got it.
Crouch is a forceful guitar man that has his chops down, and so do his band mates and the various guests that appear on this project.
With a startling variety of vocalists and musicians, he offers up a simmering pot of musical pleasures with rock, pop and blues. Blues is the major influence in a majority of the songs. In fact, at times he rips off some impressive licks reminiscent of Clapton or Stevie Ray. Some standards covered such as “Feeling Alright,” “Before You Accuse Me” and “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” are a good indicator of his expertise with his instrument.
The overall talent and musicianship is more than apparent once everyone plays without the addition of any vocal parts. On the instrumental “Serenity,” Crouch and his crackerjack band exercise a marvelous display of sharp-as-a-razor six-string dexterity with a tip of the hat to all the great blues-rock players that have come and gone, and they do it beautifully. It is a very tasteful and precise composition that I could appreciate for all its worth. On the title track, Jen Crum steps in to handle the vocals and does a beautiful job putting across the emotion and meaning of the song, it hit me right where it counts.
There really is an amazing scope and breadth of work accomplished on this one CD. I did not hear any particular pattern developing; every track is fresh and different from the previous track. I am very impressed with such diversity in an album; the bottom line is that there is something for everyone on this CD, so check it out.
© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck |
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