The Cold Stares releases The Southern Part II, their follow up to The Southern, released last year with the intention of showing their southern rock side, for what normally defines blues-rock from where they’re standing. Now recording and going out as a trio, they not only add the southern rock genre to the mix, but new blood as well. Other than that, The Cold Stares have been around the block and down the pike, so they should be a force to reckon with in the music scene, and if you haven’t heard them by now, it’s worth anyone’s time to check out their songs in any capacity in which you can, be it the old or the new stuff.
“A Little Rope” goes a long way on The Southerner Part II, and I was so moved by it I had to check out their previous album, The Southerner, before hearing the rest of Part II. It’s that good, with an entire nod to the blues and Led Zeppelin, along with other classic rock components cleverly arranged around fantastic guitars by Chris Tapp. The whole album rocks, but a few songs take the cake, and this is certainly one of them.
“Automobile” cruises like butter down the highway as it heads up the songs that follow, with a blistering guitar solo to mark its territory as one of the focus cuts on The Southern Part II. There’s no way you won’t be impressed by this cut and others to go with it, as the very next example “Evil Eye” proves on par with the car as they stay in their lane until the next epic slice of the proverbial pie. “Hard To See” leaves you speechless about what you hear, as The Cold Stares lay it on thick with a huskier song with yet another kick ass guitar solo taking it all the way over the top with some upper register vocals to top it off.
Chris Tapp turns in his best vocal on the album with “Hurting Side Of Love” creeping its way into the track list on The Southerner Part II, with an exquisite smoky ballad only a seasoned virtuoso like Chris Tapp would attempt. All I can say is wow, as I ponder more words to depict what you hear in this great piece of music coming in at the top three of my picks included on it.
If that’s not enough, “Last Time You Let Me Down” falls more into the southern rock territory than some others on The Southerner Part II, so it rescues a bit from the bluesier drenched cuts with more rock ‘n roll to be found, and I got an Allman Brothers chill from this one. And it just plays on with more greatness with “Can’t Call That Love,” another highlight moment is also to be heard on “Ransom,” another song of the absolute rocking order that continues as it comes to and end with a few more to mention. “Changed My Mind Again” with a speak for itself topic, “The Neighborhood” with its mostly bad company topic, and the big closing cut “Mighty High” do all the same level of business.
Trace Whittaker