If any rock band in 2019 were going to call an album
Blessed Is the Boogie
, it would make sense for it to be
Datura4
, the Australian four-piece who have spent their career evoking the spirit of any number of denim-clad blues-rock outfits from the '70s. But if they were going to call an LP
, their third effort is an unlikely choice, since it offers significantly less guitar-powered boogie than their previous work. That is not to say there isn't plenty of boogieing going on here; the first half of the album makes
sound like a band destined to share a stage with
Savoy Brown
and/or
Status Quo
, with the strut of
Dom Mariani
's guitar and vocals and the implacable stomp of
Warren Hall
's drums standing front and center. However,
features a new lineup of
, and these days they've traded their twin guitar attack for one guitar and a keyboard player,
Bob Patient
, and the second half of the program dials down the swagger and the bluesy side of their sound in favor of a more static variety of vintage hard rock. The wailing guitar and Hammond B-3 on "Not for Me" and "Cat on a Roof" blend together well, and the "lost in the Big Bad City" vibe of "The City of Lights" is a good match for
Mariani
's voice and his evocative guitar swells. In a way, the stylistic change-ups on
work in the group's favor;
were clearly good at what they were doing, but their songwriting was rather monochromatic, and the broader palette here makes that less of an issue. At the same time,
are a good hard rock band, but they're a better boogie machine, so even though this album represents a step forward for them, they need to build their muscles outside of the blues before they can make the most of their advances in songwriting. They said it themselves -- blessed IS the boogie. ~ Mark Deming