From the gut
by Black Betty
I discovered Gravel Road via Myspace, and through them, a handful of other bands with a simillar sound. However, these guys are something special. Stefan Z.'s vocals are earthy, and give the music a dark tone that contrasts (and at the same time, compliments) the brassy-sounding slide tones he coaxes from his guitar. The drums are simple, but the parts are well-executed, complimentary, and undeniably groovy. They wear their fondness of contemporary bluesman like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough proudly on their sleeves; in keeping with a blues tradition two centuries old, they reinterperet a Burnside song (Fireman), and the result is terrific. A definite album highlight. On their original tunes, they combine punk stomp with blues raunch to create a churning, urgent musical style that's enough to get even the stiffest of the stiff dancing their a**es off. My personal favorites include "Rabbit Run", "Bad Dog" and "Jesus on the Ward". I can't wait to hear what this band cand do after an additional two years of playing. I'm keeping my ears wide open; y'all should too.
