Label: Nuclear Blast
Review by Alessandra Cognetta
Blues Pills emerged into the music scene with a great EP, a stellar debut album, a deal with Nuclear Blast and a lot of intense touring on the biggest international stages. You’d think it would be quite hard to top that, right? That’s what I thought, until I had a chance to listen to “Lady In Gold”. Their second full-length album has once again been recorded with analog equipment under the supervision of producer Don Alsterberg. Blues Pills definitely brought their music to the next level with “Lady In Gold”, finding a great balance between a richer sound and their own distinctive style. The title track of the album is a great example, with backing vocals reminiscent of classic American soul music and an overall smoother interaction among the instruments. Lead vocalist Elin Larsson‘s voice is phenomenal as usual, raw and controlled at the same time. Elin is able to manage harsher, more powerful vocals with more reflective moments, such as the voice and organ ballad “I Felt A Change” where the band masterfully handles a slow crescendo throughout the whole song. “Bad Talkers” follows on the tracklist, channeling at the same time an Aretha Franklin and a Jimi Hendrix vibe. Overall, there seems to be a better implementation of Dorian Sorriaux’s guitar solos and a wider variety of approaches throughout the album. “Won’t Go Back” is one of the songs where the whole band brings this diversity into the sound, suggesting experimentation to a somehow well-established degree. Blues Pills is once again able to show us that it’s possible to tastefully mix influences from the great classics and still make your own music. “Lady In Gold” is definitely a step forward in this direction and stands as another example of Blues Pills’ fine work.
Rating – 85/100
Tracklist
- Lady In Gold
- Little Boy Preacher
- Burned Out
- I Felt A Change
- Gone So Long
- Bad Talkers
- You Gotta Try
- Won’t Go Back
- Rejection
- Elements and Things
Line Up
- Elin Larsson – Vocals
- Dorian Sorriaux – Guitars
- Zack Anderson – Bass
- André Kvarnström – Drums
Links