CRANSTON – II

Rock Company 2018

CRANSTON –
II

Second coming of American trio who aspire to be large than life but are in danger of losing themselves.

Not lingering in between-albums limbo for too long, this little ensemble with a big sound follow their debut record with a sophomore effort that bares their arena-minded ambition. Which is not something you’re going to blame any band for, especially after opener “Always On The Run” has laid it on the line, in the crossfire of Paul Sabu’s strings and Phil Vincent’s vocals, yet the insistent attempts to apply leppard spots to such cuts as “Throwin’ Down” or “Tables Turning” (does it all come down to starting a title with a “T”?) can’t feel too arresting, the blues slant of the latter notwithstanding. Given the players’ collective experience, trying to be someone else can result in eroding the group’s own identity.

The trio are most impressive when they rely on roots to get a song’s emotional message through – be it a dirty, folk-tinctured riff of “What’s It Gonna Take,” a bluegrass grace of “Wish I Had More Time,” or Celtic march of “Wrong Side Of Town” (does it all come down to starting a title with a “W”?) that B.F. D’Ercole’s drums drive toward piano-propelled panache. The harder they come, the better it gets, as “One Track Mind” and “Dead & Gone” – full of rock ‘n’ roll swagger – suggest. Perhaps, shedding the show-off stylings in favor of sharp simplcity would define the ensemble much clearer, to a point where numbering albums will be pointless.

***3/4

January 29, 2019