Alabama 3 - Power In The Blood

[Stuzb]

A review I wrote a while back (as some of you may guess it was posted on a fansite, hence it's overbearing bias)...

"Power In The Blood" is an Alabama 3 classic in my opinion being a fantastic dance-oriented piece which shows the band have sacraficed nothing and have stuck true to their previous achievements and show instantly that this is really a track ONLY the A3 (I hat callin' them 'A3' but it's just easier) can perform - "There is power in the Blood, justice in the soul, when the call it comes, I will be ready for war" and as fans will know this isn't done in a 'preachy' way but with a chorus that is memorable and the verses being steeped - and I mean foot-in-mouth, dead animal pyres steep - with meaning that only one or two groups (in the world) could perform successfully without seeming pretentious.

"Reachin' "strikes me as gospel and consequently blues influenced piece initially and before long Larry Love's distinctive bourbon soaked vocals can be heard and just further illustrates the A3's dexterity and vast musical influences.

"Woody Guthrie" is a sign of just how intelligent the band and its followers need to be and without a doubt illustrates the difference between hearing music and actually listening to it - how many other groups would even dare thinking about using the lyric "some mother in Jakarta, lays down her weary head, In some free trade-zone compound where they work you 'til you're dead" let alone setting it against the back-drop of a fantastic country-music inspired melody, in particular the chorus, which if the words were removed would have redneck hill-billies dancing round the campfire with their banjos until someone's brother and sister married.

"Year Zero" carries on the rudimentary style of lyricism that people don't like because they never take the time to actually listen to them or try to understand them - "Every winner is a villain, every loser is a hero" - how true, we all think?

"The Devil Went Down To Ibiza" and "Strobe Life" are both influenced by dance music yet neither are over the top and both hold their own musically when compared to dance acts and track six shows its sheer comparabilty with dance music as many remixes are being produced and certain DJ's are even being referred to as "...of Ibiza remix fame" an accolade no doubt especially when you consider that the A3 sacraficed nothing as far as the lyrics are concerned - this illustrates the quality MUST be good and rest assured it sounds fantastic turned up your stereo!

"R.E.H.A.B." is a great track which is a far more serious effort than Exile's "Hypo Full Of Love" to illustrate the difficulties with drug use, abuse and the struggle with rehabilitation but also comments on the social acceptance of drugs and the hypocritical stance displayed by many and again features a truly unique combination of musical styles.

"The Moon Has Lost The Sun" is a true A3 track and requires a LOT of play to hear the lyrics but once they are clear I guarantee you will have goose-bumps the next time the track starts such is the graphical imagery used.

The next track is a simple affair and the chorus (for me, at least) conjours up images of a black slave worksong and shows the emotional bond needed to understand the A3 (I appreciate that was a bit deep but if you get the A3 like I do, you'll understand what I mean! - I hope).

"Yellow Rose" is a complicated track and is one that I still am struggling to comprehend so I feel it unfair to pass comment on at the moment. My listening has been somewhat comprimised as I keep skipping to "Bullet Proof", which by no means is my fave A3 track but the sexy female rock inspired vocals mixed with Larry's distinctive voice are a winner and the lyrics are extremely catchy and I can see that this track could be radio-friendly and potentially be a single release.

"Badlands" is a somewhat basic country inspired partial cover of Bruce Springsteen's track "Nebraska" - be warned, the track sounds like it's been recorded in a cave and track 14 will blow your speakers to bits because the over-exuberent production leaves the track in a very quiet dynamic (as is track 15 - be warned!).

"Lord Have Mercy" is another amalgamation of styles in true A3 style and requires a couple of plays to fully appreciate but give it time and the chorus will hook you and the verses will become explanatory and certain lines in the song will give rise to hairs on neck activity such is the harsh reality of the lyrics.

The final track - "Come On Home" seems tacked-on and probably wouldn't be missed if it wasn't there - which it might not be depending on how loud your volume control is set.

All in all the Alabama 3 have done themselves and us (their ever so loyal fans) extremely proud. The album does take a good half-dozen plays to pick up the meaning of some of the lyrics and the humour contained therein but rest assured for those of us occasionally looking for more than the same old commercial-radio pop-music tripe, the A3 are a fantastic diversion - the massive amount of musical styles - some of which probably aren't even intended, the fantastic musicianship of the band - we all look forward to the accoustic based album in Sept/Oct, some of which was playing intro at Hay (great gig guys!! - nice castle) the depth of lyrics that even traditional blues musicians and punk groups would envy to have thought of and perform but fortunately for us it was the Alabama 3 that have conjoured the musical and social commentary masterpieces that have been 'Exile on Coldharbour Lane,' 'La Peste' & now 'Power in the Blood'

The album itself is perhaps not as inspirational as Exile, or as well produced as La Peste but there is no doubting this is still the no compromise Alabama 3 that we all love and there are some new styles and techniques that prevent our beloved A3 from becoming stale - and I for one am looking forward to the accoustic album which is due for release in Sept/Oct (see Alabama 3's Website and details of US release of PITB). I would like to add that this isn't really an impartial review, merely a lowdown of what the tracks said to me, but hell, if you liked both/either of the other two albums or just fancy something different from all the monotonous pop-groups you WILL love this new(est) album.

[slum_goddess]

you could have just linked to it, y'know?