Artist: Luke Doucet and The White Falcon
Album: Steel City Trawler
Label: Six Shooter
Release Date: September 21
Grade: B-
The crisp, bluesy opening guitar riff of Luke Doucet and The White Falcon's sixth studio album, Steel City Trawler, hints at a direction worth getting excited about for any fan of classic rock inspired.
Unfortunately this direction is never fully realized.
The album's overall tone tends to lean more towards the world of alternative rock, similar to that of the Wallflowers and the Barenaked Ladies.
As the album progresses, it gradually evolves into a genre-defying combination of blues, rock ‘n' roll and contemporary pop mixed with maracas and a drum roll in track one, "Monkeys," that would make legendary drummer Keith Moon of The Who proud.
"The Ballad Of Ian Curtis," a song that starts with a muddy, ominous beat and ascending bass line attempts to build anticipation. It fails to do so, however, as the song abruptly switches back to a clean, approachable and radio friendly pop song that lacks any stand out moments or hooks.
Many songs, like the track "Hey Now" sound like slower, stripped down versions of rehashed songs and fail to make their mark as original work.
Doucet's clean and polite voice doesn't do much to help mold together the grit and pop mixture found throughout the album. Though there are opportunities for some harsh vocal tones in tracks like "Lust for Life," Doucet seems rather hesitant to do so.
With this approach characterizing the majority of the album, most of the record lends itself to lovers of ′90s pop, leaving rock fans out in the cold.
