BACK ON THE ROCK is a hookfest of loose, funked-up dance rock. It manages the rare hat trick of drawing on a myriad of musical influences without sounding quite like any of them. The band's roots rock, blues and British ... more »first wave pedigree blends with old school soul flourishes, most noticeable in producer Jim Boling's seamless horn arrangements on "Oilman," a realpolitik name check on George Bush, Martha Stewart and prison sex, and "John Burrows Died For Our Sins," a rockabilly shout out on the perils of Elvis-size fame. Framed by lead guitarist Butch Blasingame's blistering work, the band's rhythm section - bassist Dwight Brown, drummer Bill Wilson and guitarist and keyboardist Ralph Towler - are superb throughout. Frontman Michael Simpson's distinctive baritone and playful falsetto leaps propel the excitement. The album opens with the radio-friendly "Drivin' By Braille," a swaggering, up-tempo jangle that shows these guys still know how to kick a party. The band next works its mojo with the blues and soul-tinged "Girl With Something Extra," a song anchored on Towler's keys that is as sensual as it is ambiguous. "Crimes of Passion (In The Funk)" completes the album's trifecta of sexy rockers. Other standouts include "Boomer," a bouncy, righteous take down of a generation that has the best line on the album - "We were gonna change the world, but now we find, it's hard just to change our minds." Right said. "Transit of Venus" is a finger-popping, slinky horn showcase for Simpson's intimate crooning and Blasingame's tasteful flourishes. "SWAG" looks at the kudzu-like "affluenza" creeping across the American landscape while "Finger Puppets" provides sociopolitical barbs driven by Wilson and Brown's jackhammer beat. "Dogma" closes the album on an uplifting, almost spiritual note.« less
BACK ON THE ROCK is a hookfest of loose, funked-up dance rock. It manages the rare hat trick of drawing on a myriad of musical influences without sounding quite like any of them. The band's roots rock, blues and British first wave pedigree blends with old school soul flourishes, most noticeable in producer Jim Boling's seamless horn arrangements on "Oilman," a realpolitik name check on George Bush, Martha Stewart and prison sex, and "John Burrows Died For Our Sins," a rockabilly shout out on the perils of Elvis-size fame. Framed by lead guitarist Butch Blasingame's blistering work, the band's rhythm section - bassist Dwight Brown, drummer Bill Wilson and guitarist and keyboardist Ralph Towler - are superb throughout. Frontman Michael Simpson's distinctive baritone and playful falsetto leaps propel the excitement. The album opens with the radio-friendly "Drivin' By Braille," a swaggering, up-tempo jangle that shows these guys still know how to kick a party. The band next works its mojo with the blues and soul-tinged "Girl With Something Extra," a song anchored on Towler's keys that is as sensual as it is ambiguous. "Crimes of Passion (In The Funk)" completes the album's trifecta of sexy rockers. Other standouts include "Boomer," a bouncy, righteous take down of a generation that has the best line on the album - "We were gonna change the world, but now we find, it's hard just to change our minds." Right said. "Transit of Venus" is a finger-popping, slinky horn showcase for Simpson's intimate crooning and Blasingame's tasteful flourishes. "SWAG" looks at the kudzu-like "affluenza" creeping across the American landscape while "Finger Puppets" provides sociopolitical barbs driven by Wilson and Brown's jackhammer beat. "Dogma" closes the album on an uplifting, almost spiritual note.
"While not a perfect album, BACK ON THE ROCK is a perfect hatful of songs for a joy ride to the apocalypse with the radio playing loud enough to blast potholes in the pavement. This exhilarating sludgy pop reminds you that, first and foremost, rock is meant to be fun.
There are no overproduced sonic concoctions here. No hint of angst rock or stare-at-your-shoes emo either, just pithy riffs anchored by rhythm guitar, bass and a solid drum kit, then blended with organ, piano and some smooth horn arrangements. It's all simple and direct. Every song is punctuated by Simpson's playful baritone, which displays the kind of sexiness that's only possible from a lifetime of experience.
Many bands today strive to channel the spirit of 60s rock. These rockers don't have to try. Their music feels like the group just woke up from suspended animation. Their songs are timeless, classic and fresh. Long live rock and long live these guys."
Shake it!
Fred Willard | Down on Ponce, Atlanta | 06/04/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ravenstone delivers some serious ass shaking sounds that are both smart and fun. No instructions are needed to operate this album. Just turn up the volume and pump it while `Oilman' learns the joys of prison sex. `Snap your Finger Puppets' to the `Transit of Venus' with `The Girl With Something Else.' Dance rock is alive and well. `Back On The Rock' is fun for the whole body from the mind to the toes, like music ought to be."
A RIGHTEOUS RESURRECTION
70s Fan | Atlanta, GA | 06/10/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"What a joy to discover this album! I remember this band well. In the early 70s Athens, GA rock world, Ravenstone were the rulers of the roost. Displaying an uncompromising, low fidelity aggression in concert with its loud guitars and force-of-nature vocals, the group kicked up an explosive, three-chords-and-the-truth racket. Like opening the frig door on a steamy August afternoon in Athens, their gutbucket rock was a cool blast of fresh air compared to the already stall boogie and jam bands that dominated the town's embryonic music scene at that time.
The tag team tandem of Simpson's vocal strut and Blasingame's welt-raising guitar attack -- he was the first guitarist in the Athens scene using a stack of Marshall amps -- was anchored by the band's rhythm trinity of Brown, Wilson and Towler, who always made sure to bring the rock AND the roll.
The band's loose and juicy music was - and still is - a pileup of roots rock, sixties, and protopunk elements, smoothed out on this outing with some great horn arrangements by producer Jim Boling that bring out the group's inner white boy funk. These guys may have mellowed a bit with age - who hasn't? - but they still rock with more brains, wit and libido than the White Stripes or the Strokes on their best days.
My favorite tracks on this album are `Drivin' By Braille' and `Oilman,' (love those horns) although `Finger Puppets' runs a close third.
BACK ON THE ROCK is a righteous resurrection of a great, early 70s Athens, GA band. I give the CD three stars only because I know, as good as it is, this band can do even better."
Some Seriously Frisky Music
Claire Cook | City of Fallen Angels | 06/13/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I found BACK ON THE ROCK in a stack of CDs on my boyfriend's desk. These guys cook up some seriously frisky music. I liked the music so well I checked Amazon to see if the band had any other albums out. I have to say I love the loony send up of Bush, Stewart and Enron's Kenny Boy on "Oilman" the best. And "Drivin' By Braille" is sexy in a John Waters "viagravated" sort of way. The band's vocalist sounds more sensual than most front men half his age. I give you guys three stars and a big mmmmmmmm... ;-)"
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
