Smoke & Steel
These guys have come a long way since their days as Big Daddy Kinsey's Fabulous Sons. Now the sons have become a power trio and inhabit that gray area between blues and rock. On this album, their first for Alligator Records in a number of years, they continue to mature into a very tight unit; this is very evident on the vocal duet "Dead in Your Tracks." Several fine musicians sit in on many of the sides. Anthony Space does some gorgeous keyboard work, and "Mad Dog" Lester Davenport's tasteful harmonica solo on "Deep in a Dark Dungeon" is also worth a listen. Most of the titles are self-penned and for the most part are ably crafted. There are also several nice covers, such as a Hendrix-ish version of John Fogerty's "Rattlesnake Highway," and a funky rendition of Bob Seger's "Fire Down Below." It might be blues or it might not--either way, it is a nicely done album.--Lars Gandil