A new album release from Hitman Blues Band delivers a soiree of heavy-handed blues rock with righteous and vivacious instrumentation and energy that gives this whole record as much color as it does edginess. With each track telling a bit of a story, you get hooked lyrically as much as you do musically.
The Calling Long Distance album wastes very little time coming in with its first and self-titled track, giving you guitar hooks right off the bat. This is an excellent introduction to the album itself as it portrays a lot of the staple fields that you might catch throughout this record.
The track showcases a classic blues backdrop with loads of soul in the performances, organs to fill that space, and a robust and full-bodied approach tone-wise.
The entire record feels very warm in its tonality and that's because of those keys, and guitar tones, but also from things like horn sections delivering mass vibrancy, rolling snare drums, southern soul-kissed gospel-like backing vocals, and so much more.
This record has a ton of layers and the deeper in you go, the more you get engulfed by the soundscape of it all.
You get elements of Creole, and real almost rustic roots feels throughout the record too with songs like "Edge of The Bed".
Others like "Blood Alley" which is one of my favorites, deliver a different feel. This track has a surf rock effect to it. There's tremolo on the guitars, new and bright synths and keys, and a cinematic backbone.
By the time you get to this track, you begin to expect the unexpected.
Yes, the blues rock is the base of everything but they venture off into different directions throughout the records unfolding and this is part of what makes it so much fun.
The energy level is through the roof which makes it feel almost like you're watching a live performance.
Perhaps these guys recorded everything live on the floor so they could feed off of each other's energies.
I wasn't there, so I don't know but, listening to this record makes you want to go see them perform it live in your face simply because, if they can capture this kind of energy on record then seeing it all in a live performance setting would be intense and endlessly fun.
I love hearing a record and immediately knowing that that band is going to be great to see live. It doesn't happen all the time but you know it when you come across it.
The drumming is amazing here and although it's almost always right in the pocket, it also adds a drive and liveliness to the entire release.
The lead guitar work in general is outstanding. It's a blues record so it's to be expected but, this release covers a lot of ground when it comes to different approaches to blues rock, classic rock, and just tons of that southern soul.
There's something very welcoming about this album.
Although different songs can go in certain directions, I love when they hit that vintage, classic blues sound because that's where their heart is at and that shows in songs like "Sunday Morning Coming Down".
It makes you wonder if they perform with the whole horn section live as well. I surely hope they do because those horns add so much depth to certain songs.
This was such a robust album that you get pulled into it which creates this atmosphere around you that you don't want to leave.
The vocals are as powerful as the guitars or the keys. They can change up in terms of their approach and raspiness at times. The closing track on the record called "Wide Old River" makes me think of artists like Tom Waits vocally.
This was an absolutely fun release and you won't be able to sit still while you listen to it. You want to sing along, move your body, get up, and dance, and you can feel all that soul in your bones. This is a real-deal blues rock record and landed the aesthetic perfectly.
There are a few surprises around its corners and I can tell you that listening to this album from start to finish is the only way to go.
As I mentioned earlier, some of these songs take many different directions, have layers, and have depth. The performances are everything here, and each individual in this band seems to complement the next and push the other.
An amazing drive throughout this entire release really gives it life.
Take a deep dive into this blues rock opus of a record and remember where you heard it first.
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