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Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Driftwood Sailors - Demo


The Driftwood Sailors - Demo
2011, The Driftwood Sailors

Rochester, New York rockers The Driftwood Sailors bring swagger and soul to a classic rock blend, creating a sound that is decidedly old school and simultaneously fresh.  Vocalist Amanda Lee Peers was the winner of a 2010 Lovin’ Cup Idol, and carries the blond locks and sassy attitude of a pop star, along with a voice that stops people in their tracks.  The rest of the band is a first class complement to peers; the chemistry is undeniable.  The Driftwood Sailors recently submitted their 4-track demo for consideration.

The Driftwood Sailors open with "Summer Jam", featuring a hip-hop lyrical style couched in a solid funk/soul/arrangement.  Amanda Lee Peers has a soulful vocal style that is highly memorable, even if the production mix buries the vocal line a bit.  "End Of Another Day" is a song of missing someone who has gone away; a longing love song with heart.  Peers' vocals are again top of the heap.  "Crashing Down" builds big atmosphere, but falls a bit short on substance.  Not bad, but not up to the first two tracks here.  The Sailors close by launching into an atmospheric cover of Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble".  The version is competent to say the least.   Peers’ is at the top of her game here.

The Driftwood Sailors show flashes of things to be on their 4-song demo, led by the impressive voice of Amanda Lee Peers.  The instrumental work of the band is superior, and The Driftwood Sailors play together like they've been doing it all their lives.  The production values on the demo are not what they might be, and some restructuring of the mix would need to happen to make this demo a presentable EP, but it's very clear that the Driftwood Sailors are on to something.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)


3 comments:

DiscConnected said...

Followed the link to their site based on your review-love what I heard. I am hoping they'll consider letting me mail order either the live CD or the demo (or both).

Larry

rocmuzikfan said...

I'm pretty sure that the band on the demo is different than the one on the live recordings. I went to their show at the bug jar. They had a amazeing guitar player who infused a life into the show. I went to one at lovincup and it was a completely diff lineup. The other time I saw them was at the rib fest and it was the diff ppl again. I got the demo at the first show and they DEf don't sound the same. Just saying. False advertising.

Susan With an "S" said...

I saw them some time last fall at the Eddie Nebula show, but i thought it was somewhere else. I loved the cd they gave out, but they didn't do anything after that, and I kind of forgot about them till I heard they were going to play Greentopia. Went to see them and they were no good. I don't think the lineup changed, I think they just took too much time off. maybe they'll get it together in 2012?