I picked up the Dirty Hooks 7 song CD after catching them
the other night with Shanda and the Howlers (probably the last show that I'll see in a while) and being sufficiently impressed with their musical and vocal abilities. While their style is a bit more commercially oriented than my usual fare, they have enough rockin', bluesy energy, with touches of gospel and 50's r'n'r to catch my fancy. The musicianship is exemplary and the vocal interplay between bassist Bobby and drummer Jenine (she has a truly excellent blues/gospel voice and can rock the drums, as well) really makes the songs stand out. Guitarist Anthony uses various tones to keep things interesting in a soulful/grunge kinda way with maybe some Black Crowes/ Rolling Stones touches. The arrangements keep your attention with stops'n'starts, acapella vocal harmonies, dynamics and a variety of rhythms.
It's kinda surprising that our paths hadn't crossed before now as this band has been together for a number of years already, but with a little luck and the right push from the right people, I could imagine them crossing over into bigger and better things.
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