Black And Blue Morning’s debut CD Rise is a flinty collection of hard rocking originals. Black And Blue Morning is a band that packs a punch in every song they write, record, and play. The band has a freshness to their sound in that its hard to trace their influences to previous hard rocking outfits.
Opening their CD with the plucky bass twangs of “My Opinion,” Black And Blue Morning push their way forward like an unstoppable force of nature. The drumming is rapid paced while the guitars rush it with spiking phrasing and rhythmical thrust. Lead singer Marc Lever has one of those tough sounding timbres that makes you feel he could just as easily tell you off as well as belt into his microphone. This opening track is well paced. It allows the boys to add a lot of nice touches as they move it forward, bursting with energy.
“Monster Inside” is based on a series of eruptive guitar chords and a striking phrase. Lead guitarist Keith Covert presses out a mean sound while he compliments lead singer Lever well in their harmonies. It’s good to hear music this driving still be melodic and twisty as this. Bassist Dave Roque pounds out his low end with effective power while drummer Rob Moore keeps it all chugging along with motion.
“The Devil’s Eyes” begins with a nice contrast between Covert’s electric guitar run of fuzzy notes and Lever’s mellower acoustic guitar strum. The boys keep this accessible, mid-tempo, layering it well with smooth vocal coos, forceful vocal delivery, and self-restraint from the rhythm section. It’s a treat to hear Covert’s lead guitar phrasing humming its way forward, occasionally playing s supra orbital interval of notes around the his mainline humming fuzz.
“One More Wave” begins coolly with Roque’s twangy bass guitar runs. Soon, the drumming supports it with successive, numerous smacks. The guitars create a wave of bracing sound that ride well along the rhythm section before the lead guitar gives off some additional screams of notes and chords. It’s the way they put this song together, like architects, that most catches the ear. You could almost walk up the staircase of sound they create, from peppy drum work, to bumpy bass twangs, to slippery guitar lines, to Lever’s anthem like vocal belts.
“Brothers” finds the boys playing with a camaraderie of spirit that connotes the title of this number. A jaunty rhythm guitar sets a lively pace, making one feel the strength of sibling bonds. This is also a good cruising down the highway tune, as its brilliant pace and guitar eruption give a sense of travel and destination and a lot of other grand, high emotions. This is definitely a band that can create an emotional backdrop while offering real grit in their musicianship with worthy twists and turns in their song.
“Mother’s Love” is a catchy tune somewhat similar to “Brothers,” in an emotive way. Yet It’s catchy in another approach. This one runs onward with direct energy, smooth, flowing, the chorus being catchy, quirky enough to keep as much focus on the vocal sweep as well as the endless river of sound. Radio friendly, it’s intriguing to wonder if this tune will be a game changer for the band. It’s just an amazing contrast between hooky chorus and flowing musicianship in one piece.
“The N.E.W.S.” thumps its way forward with extra punch and authority in the drumming, making you feel each skin smack. The bass is locked into it so as to create another coolly bumpy road of rhythmical finesse. The song also slaps in some spiky guitar things here and there to make this all feel so cleverly structured. Eventually, Covert comes out of his shell with a scorching guitar phrase that makes the listener feel its incisive power.
“Tried & True” gets its rocking groove on, using primitive, tribal-like drumming underneath slowly smoldering guitars. This one takes its sweet time unfurling its coils of feisty guitar and moody vocal applications. Tasteful self-restraint is the order of the day here. Black And Blues Morning have no problem delivering a powerful vibe without having to overpower the listener with a lot of hard-charging guitars-bass-drums erupting. “Tried & True” is a nice addition to this album of original music.
“Vicious Circle” gets its strength from its tight ensemble playing. Every player puts out a peppy line of notes and skin smacks with impeccable timing. Twitchy guitar riffs skim the surface of a pulpy rhythmic line. In fact, the rhythm section here sounds less like a rhythm section and more like two players running alongside the guitar, on equal footing, equally important to the motivational rush of the tune. Meanwhile, vocalist Lever brings swaggering aplomb to this number with his drawling attitude.
Black And Blue Morning close out with “Graveyard Love,” a slowly unfurling piece of moody rock. Its dark tones walk the listener right into the cemetery the singers references. The band does a fantastic job setting a scene and keeping it all consistent, urgent, and scary.
Black And Blue Morning will be a hard rock act to keep an eye on. Listening to this Rise album makes one feel a great destination lies in their not too distant future.
