Music Review // The Cold Stares "Voices"

The music of The Cold Stares is largely driven by the blues.  Guitar-based, there are songs which will get stuck in your head and though the blues are typically thought of as being sad this entire album just feels like such a rocking good time.   Right away, there are elements of The White Stripes and Hendrix, which do somewhat carry on throughout "Voices".

"Lights Out" is among the catchy songs on this album while "Sorry I Was Late" is slower, minimal and just has that ballad feel to it.  "Sinnerman" has a specific type of ringing about it and then that takes into those acoustic note patterns on "Throw That Stone".  This all comes to a head as there is a psychedelic type break down on the next song.   As we reach the end, it really does feel like that final song.

Lyrically, a lot of these songs are sad and they mention the rain which is also a symbol of sadness for some reason.  But when you listen to "The Joy", you have to think about how the world would dry up and die without the rain.  There is even the line: "Like the sunshine after the rain" which is what helps things to grow and life to be lived.  So even if this feels sad on some level, at least at the end it feels hopeful.

The Cold Stares seem to be one of the great modern blues bands but the blues and rock n roll are so closely related that I can't help but hear both within "Voices".  At times, it makes me feel like I'm in New Orleans and B.B. King is playing somewhere.  At other times, it feels like Woodstock and the intro to "Renegade" by Styx.  Either way, fans of guitar should be listening to this one on repeat for quite some time.