Barrence Whitfield & The Savages
Under The Savage Sky
Bloodshot Records
Coming out of
Boston in the early ‘80s, Barrence Whitfield & The Savages immediately made
a name for themselves as purveyors of hard-driving, punk-edged R&B and
soul, no doubt providing inspiration for bands like The Bellrays and their ilk
today. The band split after a couple of records, reuniting recently, picking up
exactly where they left off.
Under The Savage
Sky is a full-throttle rhythm & punk assault, Whitfield displaying the
passion and power vocalists a third his age would struggle to muster. Tracks
like Rock ‘n’ Roll Baby touch the closest to the original R&B form, all
blowing brass and hi-octane beat, while Adjunct Street is all honey-sweetened
(albeit mournful) soul. Elsewhere though, this is pure Savages, as brutal and
free-flowing as ever. Whitfield howls and croons, guitarist Peter Greenburg
shreds and burns, the record struts and poses as a result – powerful stuff from
a band who are just as good now as they were in their early prime.
3.5/5
Samuel J. Fell
No comments:
Post a Comment