Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown’s “Electrified”: Not their best, but still great
Perhaps the most common myth currently being spread by idiots on the internet is the rock music is dead. To this I must rebut that the bloated rock ‘n roll lifestyle exemplified by Ozzy eating all Earth’s winged creatures, Aerosmith breaking up over spilt milk and drugs, and Motley Crue surviving more than some seasoned war veterans has in fact died for the most part. But rock music itself? That is very much still alive, and southern fried rockers Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown are the poster-children of that.
While their latest effort Electrified is not what I consider to be their strongest record to date (that is certainly 2022’s Shake the Roots), it is still a great showcase of a modern rock band that can successfully toe the line between deriving from their classic rock influences and creating something originally their’s.
Now, I was going to refrain from reviewing this record until I received my signed copy in the mail, but I have thoughts and you know I can’t shut my trap when an opinion pops into my brain, so here we go.
The opening track, Between the Lines, opens the album with attitude and keeps the listener hooked with a catchy riff, several tempo changes, and the delicious production the band hasn’t yet failed to deliver. Crossfire is a slow burner and haunted my ears beautifully. It may be a little early in the set to slow the tempo down, but the track maintains more than enough energy to keep up the momentum.
The album’s single, Snake Oil, isn’t my favorite track but is still a fun little jaunt with truthful lyrics and a fair bit of spunk. Trick Up My Sleeve and Happy Gets Made (the latter featuring Ruthie Foster) further display of their bluesy side, and just when the album is beginning to feel a bit slow, Shake You Down comes in rapid fire and jolts the listener back into the mood.
My personal favorite track happens to be the ballad, One and Lonely, which features Tyler Bryant’s wife, Larkin Poe’s Rebecca Lovell, on backing vocals. Call me sappy, but I’m a sucker for the melancholy stuff. The vocals, guitars, all of the instruments are dripping in soul and the dynamic contrast is wonderful. Chef’s kiss tune, truly.
Movin’ and Dead To Rights both drip in the combination of blues and southern rock The Shakedown has perfected, and Mona expands on this with an added bit of aggression.
The album’s final track Carefree Easy Rollin’ is exactly as the title sounds and is a fun conclusion to the record.
So, without further adieu, go stream Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown’s Electrified where you listen to music!
