What does it mean to be a power trio? Any three schmucks with a guitar, bass, drums, and a half passable voice (or voices) can throw together a tune. It’s another thing to do so with power. By “power”, I don’t just mean the brute force of the band’s volume either. I mean the power of their musicality, their songwriting, their overall chemistry, and the cohesiveness of their end product (AKA, the album). When we take all these factors into consideration, there are very few true power trios remaining. The Cold Stares are a rare exception.
Hailing from Evansville, Indiana, but currently residing in the music capital of the world, Nashville, Tennessee, The Cold Stares consists of guitarist/vocalist Chris Tapp, drummer Brian Mullins, and latest member, bassist Bryce Klueh. Yes, you read that correctly. Up until the release of their latest album, Voices, The Cold Stares were a power duo. According to their press release, the band expanded as a trio after realizing two would not be enough to A. Explore the sonic territory they wanted and B. To replicate it accurately live without tracks.
While I wouldn’t go so far to call any of the songs on here “prog”, The Cold Stares certainly leave no 70s musical stone unturned. Blues lies at the core of their sound, but throughout the course of Voices‘ 40ish minute runtime, The Cold Stares touch upon early metal, funk rock, and acoustic folk, among other classic styles. Tapp’s vocal delivery ranges from boisterous growls to gentle crooning, laying down tough riffage and subtle soloing to accompany each song, the latter ranging from the subtle to the scorching. Meanwhile, Klueh and Mullins bash away with the tenacity of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, and other legendary rhythm sections of yesteryear.
The lions share of Voices rocks, and it rocks hard. Cuts like “Voices”, “Sinnerman”, and the aptly titled “Nothing But the Blues” are straightforward blues rockers with arena rock hooks and mentality, the type that’s bound to crossover to rock radio; dirty, crunchy, and in your face. Groove-centric cuts like “Cold for Me” and “Lights Out” channel the raw, early glory of ZZ Top before they discovered the miracle of 80s technology, AKA synths and drum machines. And then there’s outliers like “Got No Right”, towing the line between blues and psych à la Cream, or the punishing proto-metal of “Waiting for the Rain Again”, the latter of which wouldn’t be out of place on a Free or Sabbath album circa ’71.
Even the ballads on Voices pack a punch, be it the gentle keyboard-driven “Sorry I Was Late” or the hauntingly folksy “Throw That Stone”. The Cold Stares truly put their all into this release, and have won a fan out of yours truly. If you prefer your rock n’ roll on the loud, overdriven, and no frills side, chances are you’ll be a fan as well. The band name may be “cold”, but nothing warms my soul more than old school rock n’ roll cranked to 11, such as this!
7 out of 10
Label: Mascot Records
Genre: Hard Rock
For fans of: ZZ Top, Free, Jared James Nichols