Review of Soledad Brothers's CD "Voice of Treason"

Soledad Brothers: Voice of Treason

I'd like to draw an analogy if I may, (bear with me, this is going somewhere) between retro rock music and vintage clothing. Like retro rock there's an awful lot of vintage clothing around, but only a portion of it is authentic and an even smaller portion of it is any good. For every sexy, washed out yet perfect 1978 Kiss t-shirt going for a song on ebay there's 20 rubbishy vintage-style crap screen print tees in topman or warehouse or some other national chain store. These fakes are all well and good if you want to give the impression of individuality and panache, but you fall on your face when every other townie in Creation is in the same get-up. So what I'm saying is, finding a unique shirt that's got quality, style, and a true aura of real rock music is like searching for a shred of talent in the students of the Fame Academy- i.e. nigh on impossible. So, back to the analogy, the 'vintage-style' we find in abundance in retro rock is the likes of the Kings of Leon (whose songs are written by the same guy who wrote 'Dance the Night Away' for the Mavericks-live the dream you crazy Fellowills) who have the all the surface but none of the authenticity, and the real deal, the chance find, the 1978 Kiss t-shirt, is The Soledad Brothers.

Voice of Treason stomps with authenticity, this is three men making some old school rock and roll blues, and the Kings of Leon can go jump. Alongside traditional blues songs 'Lay Down This World' and 'I'm So Glad', which are interpreted Soledad style are some outstanding tracks, specifically opener 'Cage That Tiger' ('Sharpen her claws up and down your back / Cat's eyes is green / And it's heart is black / You got to cage that tiger') and the soulful 'Lorali'. The album has some excellent artwork, and is a real find for anyone who values what really is important in music. The Soledad Brothers are about sitting down and jamming with your friends, enjoying music, having fun with music but also understanding it's emotional significance, and that is a pretty rare thing.

I for one am a big fan of the real thing and can't wait to catch the Soledad's at Leeds festival next week, I'll leave the last word to them, as Johnny Walker sings in 'Sights Unseen'- 'S.O.L.E.D.A.D. Play it loud and it'll set you free'!

• www.soledadbrothers.com

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