Nothing Without You - EP

Album Review

Carney's Nothing Without You comprises 14 minutes of smart, tasteful rock & roll, from the psychedelic flourishes in "Imperial Lover" to the Zeppelin-styled crunch of "Testify." The group's linchpin is singer/songwriter Reeve Carney, who honed his sexy swagger as part of Jonny Lang's touring band during the mid-2000s. Nothing Without You shows Carney relinquishing his job as side guitarist and taking up residence as a frontman, a role he occupies with equal parts youthful earnestness and adult-sized coolness. His vocals on "There She Goes" and "Imperial Lover" display the same engaging androgyny as Amublance LTD's Marcus Congleton, but the slurred, bluesy melodies of "Testify" are more aligned with Robert Plant, whose band's influence can also be heard in the steady boom of Jon Epcar's drum kit and the low, Southern-leaning riff courtesy of lead guitarist (and sibling) Zane Carney. Clocking in at four tracks, Nothing Without You is far too short to be anything but an appetizer for a full-length album, but it's worth noting that there's not a bum note here. Consider Carney a band on the rise.