John The Conqueror
John The Conqueror
Alive Natural Sound Records [2012]
Fire Note Says: John The Conqueror hit the right bluesy rock nerve on their excellent self-titled debut!
Album Review: Philadelphia’s John The Conqueror brings a very familiar sounding dirty blues rock right at you full throttle on their self-titled debut. The trio have a very Black Keys vibe going on which might have some critics dismissing them for not bringing anything new to the table but I think that is exactly the point – why change up a winning formula.
The ruckus all starts within the first 45 seconds of the opening hand claps and lo-fi background singing in “I Just Wanna” before the song blows up into a full blues explosion and the pleading chorus of “I just want to be your man!” It is this type of debut vigor that keeps John The Conqueror pumping right into the second track rocker “Southern Boy”. This is a song where the instruments start sparking, Moore’s vocals hit 11 and John The Conqueror completely groove. Even though the record stays in a similar musical swim lane throughout the band shakes things up with subtle changes that enhance the album’s flow. Songs like the swaying “Time To Go” pays more of tribute to classic Muddy Waters while “Letter Of Intervention” showcases a blending of darker slow rhythms with upbeat style bursts and group sing alongs that equal an album highlight.
John The Conqueror did not set out to recreate the wheel here on their debut but instead made a record that is dependable, solid and timeless. It has all of the gritty ingredients you want in a debut and thanks to the Black Keys there is an even bigger audience out there for their style. So if you are looking for a good new record to rock out your week, month or year I guarantee that John The Conqueror are the real deal and will not disappoint your blues rock soul!
Key Tracks: “Southern Boy”, “Time To Go”, “Letter Of Intervention”
Artists With Similar Fire: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears / Muddy Waters / The Black Keys
John The Conqueror Website
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Alive Natural Sound Records
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