Music Review // Newbridge "Howler"

 

On "Howler", Newbridge takes us through a groovy blues rock ride with soul.  This song doesn't have a lot of modern comparisons but reminds me of Tracy Chapman as well as Big Joe and the Stolen Hearts.   There is just something pure about this song that takes me back to a time in music before I was even born, maybe prior to the 1960's at some point even as well, when people were making music in that way that Elvis Presley was experimental.

With lyrics such as "She's howling at the moon" you get the idea behind the song.   Though it's not just about this untamed type of love, but it's also kind of about wanting something which is bad for you.  One of my favorite lines is "You think it's a game / Won't lift a finger til you point the blame" because it so perfectly describes how certain people won't help out but are so quick to judge.

As the song has those lyrics which will tell the story, the line which settles it all seems to be: "What's a man to do?"   I think at some point in life, we have to realize that as humans we are all flawed and so if you're out there trying to find the "perfect woman" (or human) it might be less likely to happen than you think simply because we need to accept each other, flaws and all.  Those flaws could be thought of as howling at the moon.

With these great guitar solos and just a guitar-heavy sound, this takes me back to somewhere between B.B. King and Chubby Checker.  It's reminscent of that Buddy Holly era of music too, where it's just too clean to be offensive.    But with the lyrics and all of there meaning, this is just a strong song all around and should be the blueprint for how others go about making similar blues rock.