Review: The Comforts - Come On In!

The Comforts - Come On In!
2009, The Comforts

Cincinnati, Ohio’s The Comforts don’t play the typical Rock N Roll game; it’s not sex, drugs, and party-party-party for this quintet, but good, old fashioned Rock music with broad appeal that saves the day. You can find them anywhere from a biker bar to church festivals, with smiles from both crowds. The Comforts’ debut album, Come On In!, reflects this aesthetic, with influences ranging from 1950’s pop to 1970’s Rock/Metal bands like Rush.

Come On In! opens with Better Reasons, a relatively straight forward Pop/Rocker with it's lineage in 1960's girl groups and pop idols like Brenda Lee. The mix on this song is a bit muddy, with the vocals sounding very restricted in the presented mix. Never Look Back runs on a guitar riff that might have been inspired by Alex Liefson. The song itself is a pleasant listen and a call for community. The vocals are shared here between Paul Lake and Frances Lynn Merke; both are competent in their parts but don’t set the world on fire. Love Around You takes on folks who have real-world responsibilities but continue to act like they are young and unfettered. The arrangement here is messy, particularly around the vocal harmonies; a case where the message is great but the delivery is unfortunately less than spectacular. Small Town Girl hearkens back to the early days of Rock N Roll and is my personal favorite from the EP. Circles Never End has an urgent, even pushy feel to it that's just a might infectious. The arrangement will get stuck in your head, although the melody line is a bit non-descript. Come On In! closes out with You're That Girl, a messy but fun romp

The Comforts stick to the sound they know best on Come On In! The EP didn't blow me away, but had a couple of good moments. I don't know what the long term prospects are for The Comforts, but it will be interesting to see where they go next.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Comforts at www.myspace.com/thecomfortsrock. You can purchase a copy of Come On In! on CD or as a download at www.cdbaby.com/cd/comforts.