I have to admit that even though Dixie Witch has been around for more than a decade, and has released 4 CDs (including this one), I hadn't heard of them before getting this to review. Hailing from Austin, TX this trio stays very true to the sounds that their fans have come to love. The best way to describe it perhaps is as a guitar driven, riff heavy, Southern style Rock album.
The first thing that struck me was the guitar of JT Smith. Featured very heavily on all of the songs it's easy for even the newest listener of their music to see what direction the band is going in. Trinidad Leal sets the pace on drums and handles some of the vocals, and Curt Christenson rounds out the rhythm on the bass, and also handles some of the vocals. Because I so seldom look at liner notes before listening to a disc I didn't realize that the vocal work was shared, but that helped explain the differences that are so promonent from track to track. After listening to it a few times I found myself wishing I knew who was singing which song.
'Let It Roll' has a clean vocal sound that's pretty easy to get in to. Not super abrasive or gutteral, but still perfect for the genre. 'Boogie Man' definitely has a groove but the vocals sounded more muddled and a little forced. I listen to all kinds of music, and it's rare that I feel like I'm struggling to understand what's being sung, but this song is almost like listening to a young Lemmy. As you keep listening the vocals seem to alternate between the two singers, and that is either a blessing or a curse, depending I suppose on what you prefer. Personally I prefer the cleaner, less muddled singing to the Lemmyesque sound.
The one thing that you never doubt listening to this CD is the true passion that the band has for the kind of music that they play. The guitar solos may have been the most enjoyable thing for me simply because they seem ....... more
Reviews for Let It Roll...
Rock Over America
I have to admit that even though Dixie Witch has been around for more than a decade, and has released 4 CDs (including this one), I hadn't heard of them before getting this to review. Hailing from Austin, TX this trio stays very true to the sounds that their fans have come to love. The best way to describe it perhaps is as a guitar driven, riff heavy, Southern style Rock album.
The first thing that struck me was the guitar of JT Smith. Featured very heavily on all of the songs it's easy for even the newest listener of their music to see what direction the band is going in. Trinidad Leal sets the pace on drums and handles some of the vocals, and Curt Christenson rounds out the rhythm on the bass, and also handles some of the vocals. Because I so seldom look at liner notes before listening to a disc I didn't realize that the vocal work was shared, but that helped explain the differences that are so promonent from track to track. After listening to it a few times I found myself wishing I knew who was singing which song.
'Let It Roll' has a clean vocal sound that's pretty easy to get in to. Not super abrasive or gutteral, but still perfect for the genre. 'Boogie Man' definitely has a groove but the vocals sounded more muddled and a little forced. I listen to all kinds of music, and it's rare that I feel like I'm struggling to understand what's being sung, but this song is almost like listening to a young Lemmy. As you keep listening the vocals seem to alternate between the two singers, and that is either a blessing or a curse, depending I suppose on what you prefer. Personally I prefer the cleaner, less muddled singing to the Lemmyesque sound.
The one thing that you never doubt listening to this CD is the true passion that the band has for the kind of music that they play. The guitar solos may have been the most enjoyable thing for me simply because they seem ....... more