The second release by The Screaming Blue Dogs picks up where their self-titled initial effort left off. Obviously influenced by blues, along with more modern twists, the stripped down, four-piece unit serves up 45 minutes of guitar-laced mayhem. From the brief opening of Preprise, a Delta-inspired solo workout by Kevin Maring, they brazenly lift off into the stratosphere for Don't Say One More Word, sparked with an SRV feel. Trust All The Wrong People offers another shot at more traditional fare with Elmore/Homesick James slide, but Jeff Noble's lack of vocal ability holds the band back from being taken seriously. Maring's guitar runs the gamut from quiet and restrained to loud and overloaded, and his best showing is the distinct Mike Bloomfield tone and attack obvious during the spellbinding I Wanna Know, but the grating voice of Noble thwarts his efforts. The looping Sun-era Elvis vocals in Reprise are highly interesting and elsewhere, they dish out a number of influences, including Son House slide hijinx in Great Big Gump. Chris Maring handles bass duties while Ken Stefans holds drumming chores and Steve Stanford tosses in some decent harp chops along with John DeRudder's sax. With drum programming and touches of synthesized guitar, it's plain to see they have a different outlook on blues, but there's no denying where their roots are. The screaming drawback to an otherwise keenly produced outing are Noble's unintentional vocal assassinations each time he opens his mouth. For more info, check out:
http://www.screamingbluedogs.com/
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