With the temperature dropping, it's time to find someone to keep you warm. Find your hookups with our online dating guide!
Jeff Buckley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Black Crowes
(independent)
The Spoon Benders:
Resurrecting the Giants
Resurrecting the Giants
- Rock
- 2007
- Buy the CD
Reviewed by Greg M. Schwartz
R
esurrecting the Giants is the second album from this South Florida power trio, and it should help them break out to a wider audience, as the album crackles with energy from start to finish. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Winfree, bassist Yves Giraud, and drummer Brian Bennett have been together since 2002, and it shows in the album’s tight, rocking vibe which features a stirring stew of rock, blues, funk, psychedelia and soul. Winfree’s vocal style often recalls the late Jeff Buckley, and they clearly share many of the same musical roots. “Making My Name” opens up the album with a sound that grabs the attention and doesn’t let go. When Winfree sings “electricity is pulsing through my brain at 400,000 miles an hour,” you don’t doubt it. He wastes no time in demonstrating some serious chops, and the song plain sizzles.
“Another Good Hook” takes a more stripped-down, funky approach that gets the head nodding while Winfree sings lyrics putting down the crass sellout path that many major label artists travel. “Saturday Afternoon” has a similarly laid-back (yet catchy) groove that pays homage to lazing around the house with that special someone. “I Fell Out of the Van This Morning” delivers some swampy slide guitar and really conjures a down and dirty blues vibe that recalls moments from Led Zeppelin.
“Poison the Water” gets back to hard-hitting blues rock in the Jimi Hendrix/Stevie Ray Vaughan mold, with Winfree delivering some truly ripping fretwork that admirably recalls those guitar giants. “Painted Figurines” goes back into Buckley territory to mine the rootsy, blues turf on which Winfree clearly is quite comfortable, as he sings deep thoughts like “I gave away my freedom just by being born / In a world that weighed too much to overcome.”
“Take Me Home” caps off the eight-song album with a tasty track that leaves you wanting more. The band lays down a catchy groove that probably opens up really well live, while Winfree delivers some of his most accessible vocals. The Spoon Benders have a ton of talent, and the only drawback here is that the album doesn’t have more songs.
You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for content updates. Also, sign up for our email list for weekly updates and check us out on Google+ as well.