Devon Allman's Honeytribe - Space Age Blues

Time: 45:37
Size: 104.4 MB
Source: LL
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Blues-Rock
Released: 2010
Covers: Full

1. Could Get Dangerous {4:14}
2. Space Age Blues {5:16}
3. Salvation {4:42}
4. Sir Duke {3:47}
5. Endless Diamond {4:45}
6. Bleu Est Le Vide {1:54}
7. Warm In Wintertime {4:30}
8. New Pet Monkey {4:08}
9. I'm Ready {4:45}
10. Take Me To The Bridge {3:29}
11. Insh'allah {4:02}

Space Age Blues is the first Honeytribe recording since 2006; it is also, according to leader Devon Allman, a loosely scripted concept album where "Darth Vader meets B.B. King." Allman is not only a blues guitarist of some acumen, but a science fiction fan as well. His idea was to take a musical look at the way we relate to technology, examine how much of it has become inseparable from our lives, see what works and what doesn't, and try to encourage humanity to connect with something organic that is bigger than ourselves. But it's the music itself that matters, and Space Age Blues mostly succeeds. Its opening cut, the funky wah-wah and distortion-laden "Could Get Dangerous," features Allman in fine form, especially as he trades licks with Huey Lewis' harmonica (Yes, that one). George Potsos' bassline provides a big fat undercarriage that's highlighted by Gabriel Strange's drum kit. As fine as Allman's playing is, however, Lewis steals the track. The title cut, "I'm Ready," and "Take Me to the Bridge" derive as much from Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys collaboration as they do blues. The soul-blues of "Salvation" suffers a bit from Allman's limited vocal range, but is compensated for by Ron Holloway's emotionally expressive tenor saxophone solo, which in turn spurs an inspired guitar break from Allman. The other place his voice lets him down is on an otherwise fine reading of Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" -- the band nails it musically and the groove is enough to compensate for the vocal lack. "Endless Diamond" is a big-riff minor-key blues with a funky backbeat and hypnotic bassline. "Blue Est le Vide" is a mostly instrumental acoustic guitar number that changes the pace a bit. Album closer "Insh'Allah" (an Arabic term that translates as "God willing") is a knotty psych-rock jam band exercise. As musically forceful as this set is, the tunes here will likely come off more explosively live. Fans of Honeytribe's Torch album and those hard rock-blues aficionados unacquainted with Allman's considerable gifts as a guitarist will find much to celebrate on Space Age Blues.

AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek

Space Age Blues

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Devon Allman's Honeytribe - Torch

Time: 39:12
Size: 89.7 MB
Source: LL
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Rock, Blues-Rock
Released: 2006
Covers: Full

1. Torch {3:12}
2. Mahalo {5:20}
3. No Woman, No Cry {3:42}
4. When I Call Home {4:39}
5. Perfect World {3:36}
6. Mercy, Mercy {2:45}
7. Something I Know {4:48}
8. Heaven Has No Mercy {3:41}
9. Why You Wanna Bring Me Down {2:52}
10. 511 Texas Avenue {1:29}
11. Nothing To Be Sad About {3:02}

Devon Allman's Honeytribe hails from St. Louis, MO. Torch is the band's American debut, though a live European offering is available from the band's website. Yep, his dad's Gregg Allman, but Honeytribe has its own sound. Having grown up partly in Corpus Christi, and later in Missouri, Devon Allman and band's sound owes very little to the Allman Brothers. It's a space age jam band blues outfit that has bits and pieces of soul in the mix but the real deep edge is hard rock. Allman is a solid guitarist and has a decent voice, but he does not possess the phrasing chops of his old man; then again, it did take Gregg a long time to become the kind of singer he is now. Torch feels like a debut album. It has many solid moments, such as the burning instrumental "Mahalo," that feels like Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" played by the Santana band without words. The sense of drama is heightened by drummer/percussionist Mark Oyarzabal's taste and presence, and also by Jack Kirkner's Hammond B-3. The cover of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" is credible, but adds nothing to the original (why do so many people think that they can cover this song?) but it does feature guitar wizard Pedro Arevalo's tasty licks and slide. "When I Call Home" is one of those bluesy soul ballads that feels right inside a jam band. Allman's singing is what makes the tune. He is expressive, digs down deep into his belly for the lyric and lets it rip. His guitar work is beautiful and tasty but he keeps the song upfront. Again, Kirkner's organ is such a gorgeous tool in a tune like this, it floats and then grounds everything as well. The edgy hard rock of tracks like the title and "Perfect World" don't seem to work so well in the studio. Production is a problem because these cats seem to have to crank every instrument up to ten, leaving no space in the mix. There are a number of clichés here, too, such as the boogie blues "Heaven Has No Mercy," which sounds like a tune your average bar band would play at a biker road rally. The solo acoustic guitar piece, "511 Texas Avenue," is a nice relief from the bombast, and the album's closer "Nothing to Be Sad About," balances the big ringing guitars with acoustic-honky tonk-style piano and loose, back porch vocals, showcasing all the band has to offer quite nicely. Interestingly, Allman's blues guitar style owes more to Dickey Betts than it does late uncle Duane's but then, Betts has influenced plenty of the jam band generation pickers so it might just be coincidence. While Torch is not an overly impressive debut, it would be a mistake to write it, or the band off. There's room to grow and Honeytribe is surely on the right track.

AllMusic Review by Thom Jurek

Torch

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