Brothermandude – S/T (CD)

Hey, did someone steal an unreleased Don Henley track and pass it off as Brothermandude’s first track, “Movin On”? No, well it sounds like that, as Brothermandude place the vocals at the fore of the track as the bass gets down and funky and the guitar occupies a space in the track that allows it to supplement both of those other instruments. The slight fuzz present on the track, owing its presence to an instrumental set of influences enjoyed by the band, is the only tell that individuals have that this track was not created in 1986. “Living High” does not have that immediate identification with a rock star. However, the specific date of the band’s song has not changed.

The band has eschewed the retro rockers’ love of the seventies and showed their true feelings about the pop rock of the eighties. The style is something that is done well by Brothermandude, even if the tracks seem to be a better hit for an eighties radio station than mTV at this day and age. “Slicksville” is a considerably longer track than practically any other song on this album, and it is a major gambit for Brothermandude at this juncture on this disc. However, the blend of vocals and guitars during this track is done with a talent that cannot be underestimated; there is more than enough material present on this track to keep individuals listening in throughout the whole of “Slicksville”. Where “Slicksville” was a slower song, this is not the case for “Painkiller”. In “Painkiller”, Brothermandude remove themselves from the earlier style that was their calling card throughout the rest of the disc.

Actually, “Painkiller” blends together the vocal of Steven Tyler and Phil Collins; this blending has a hard rock backdrop to it, highlighting this odd blend even further. The band does not have any constraints on this album. The fact that they do not paint themselves into a corner shows that the act will be able to continually create albums that showcase different facets of their personalities. I just hope that each subsequent album gives us a different interpretation of what the Brothermandude sound “is”. If that is the case, I know I will be with the band for the long haul. I know that they have much more to give to me, and time will show whether they will be able to capitalize on the fact that they are a band that is quite different from anything else on the market.

Top Tracks: Painkiller, Mannequin

Rating: 6.2/10

Brothermandude – S/T / 2006 Adrenaline / 11 Tracks / http://www.brothermandude.com / Reviewed 02 October 2006

[JMcQ]