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Thursday, April 9, 2009

Review: Harlan Flo - Wheels Of Time


Harlan Flo - Wheels Of Time
2008, Fuzz Junker Records

Harlan Flo is a dose of down and dirty blues with a classic rock feel, a modern rock edge and some of the hottest vocal harmonies going. The Chicago sextet features Berklee College of Music grad Patrick Dugan on lead vocals and guitar. Their debut album, Wheels Of Time, is a blast from the past with some present day twists. The guitar work is righteous and the arrangements will appeal to fans of 1970's electric blues.

Wheels Of Time opens with Battle Cry, a musical wolf in sheep's clothing. The first half of the song sounds like your prototypical 1970's blues/rock hybrid, but then you get to the searing duo guitar solos. The song rocks like nobody's business and the vocal trio of Amanda Riva, Sophia Hall and Jenna Liddle provide some of the hottest vocal support east of the Mississippi. Livin' is built around a clean blues sound and features a pretty funky/flighty bridge you need to check out. Dave Ross shows off some hot keyboard work here. Somethin' In The Night is pure roadhouse blues, while Groove Mood might just be the hottest tune on the album. Porcelain Flower is an obscure and gentle ballad built on harmonics and unusual progressions. This one will be an interesting study for the guitar players out there. Other highlights include El Chupacabra, Heard The News, and Wheels Of Time, with some of the hardest hooks on the album.

Harlan Flo mixes their blues bass with a strong melodic sense, great harmonies and some wicked guitar play. Wheels Of Time is definitely worth a listen or three, but you may not be able to stop there.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Harlan Flo at http://www.harlanflo.com/ or www.myspace.com/harlanflo. You can purchase Wheels Of Time at www.cdbaby.com/cd/harlanflo.

1 comment:

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