Is there still good old southern rock being made these days? Californian rock ‘n’ roll band The Blessings are at your service. On their new full-length album Woke Up With The Noonday Devil you’ll hear twelve songs that are big in every respect, and in which rock, blues and soul are synonyms. Jeremy White (lead vocals, harmonica, guitar), Mike Gavigan (guitar), Jeff Howell (keys), Terry Love (bass), Scott Sobol (drums), and the late Lavonne Barnett-Seetal (backing vocals, percussion) know the 70s by heart. Just check out their cover picks – Back Home (Golden Earring) and Party’s Over (Raspberries) – and listen to the mean guitar riffs that blend effortlessly with the soulful vocals and grooving rhythm section for proof. Musically it’s very well done, but the lyrics are also quite enduring, including multiple nods to classic western films – hence the cover art.
Woke Up With The Noonday Devil, produced by Gabe Lowry & Mike Gavigan, is out digitally, on CD and vinyl LP, through Rare Bird Records. Also featuring Paul Litteral (trumpet) and Tracy Wannomae (saxophone) on select tracks.