Review: St. Dominic's Trio - Switch

St. Dominic's Trio - Switch
2009, Frozen Rope Records

Minnesota rockers St. Dominic's Trio offer up a mix of original songs heavily influenced by a classic rock sound with the occasional to modern mores. The Minnesota based band (which is not, in fact, a trio) has been a local club favorite for some time but has started to branch out in the last two years. Switch is their debut album, and provides a picture of a band with a distinct musical taste and a chameleon-like nature.

Switch opens with Free And Alive, punctuated by 1970's Chicago (the band) style horns. Free And Alive is a happy romp with a driving rhythm and lots of peripheral instrumental action. 4th Day Of May is a straight forward classic rocker that draws from early R&B sounds. I Thought We Were Friends is in a similar vein with the addition of that delicious horn section. There's an Elvis Costello vibe here that is somewhat muted but unmistakable. She Loves You Anyway is a tasty bit of Americana that is a perfect vessel for vocalist Terry Walsh. Bike Ride of 35W has a southern/swamp rock feel to it. The song is quite catchy and certain to have you up and dancing.

Outta Bullets reflects a little more attitude and oomph from St. Dominic's Trio, dealing in a blend of Blues and Rock N Roll that is sure to please. This is what AC/DC might have sounded like if they originated in the early 1960's. Be sure also to check out Cold Dice and the effecting One Day. One Day is perhaps the finest composition on the album -- every listener will recognize this aural photograph in someone they know.

St. Dominic's Trio have made the jump from classic rock bar band to creative force. Switch is a capable album with a number of decent songs and one or two real standouts. In the current market this is not a highly commercial release, but is very listenable and should find a solid fan base for St. Dominic's Trio. One Day is a special song that could carry St. Dominic's Trio a long way (similar to how The Time Of Your Life established Green Day as a serious artistic band as opposed to a reckless punk outfit). Switch is definitely worth checking out.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about St. Dominic’s Trio at http://www.belfastcowboys.com/. You can purchase a copy of Switch at www.cdbaby.com/cd/stdominicstrio.

Review: The Belfast Cowboys - The Belfast Cowboys

The Belfast Cowboys - The Belfast Cowboys

2009, Frozen Rope Records

You don't often find cover bands cover in a forum such as this for a two distinct reasons:

1.) Cover bands often don't release albums;
2.) Albums by cover bands don't tend to sell well outside of the band's geographic base as most fans of the covered artist would prefer the originals.

There are exceptions of course. Luther Wright & The Wrongs in particular pulled off a coup covering Pink Floyd's The Wall (Rebuilding The Wall) a few years back, and Diana Ross' Lady Sings The Blues soundtrack is a classic cover album, but it's difficult (and often a mistake) to try and reinterpret an iconic artist's catalog for commercial gain. You tend to offend the hard core fans who are your primary market. Minneapolis' The Belfast Cowboys are a Van Morrison cover band who released their self-titled debut in December of 2008. Not only do The Belfast Cowboys do Van Morrison's material justice, they capture the vibrancy and energy of Morrison from his Them days.

The Belfast Cowboys opens with Cleaning Windows (Minneapolis version); its true to the original version while adding some local flavor. The Funk/R&B underpinnings of this song are as fine as Morrison ever imagined and it gets the album off on the right foot. The album's second song, Wild Night is a treat. Lead singer Terry Walsh performs a bit of musical transubstantiation here, nearly projecting the essence of Morrison for the first of several performances on The Belfast Cowboys. Walsh leads the band through reverent and coherent readings of Into The Mystic, Real Real Gone, Bright Side Of The Road and several other Morrison classics but hits a musical climax on Jackie Wilson Says. The whole band is inspired on this song and you forget for three minutes that you're listening to a cover band. Other highlights include Bright Side Of The Road, Caravan and Precious Time.

The Belfast Cowboys are a first class cover band. Walsh and crew provide a window on Van Morrison the performer 35 years ago. The energy and joy of that young man have been replaced by the wisdom and serenity of the consummate performer who is still musically active today, but longtime Morrison fans will appreciate this honest and reverent look back on the young man he was. It’s a great recording.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Belfast Cowboys at http://www.belfastcowboys.com/. You can pick up a copy of The Belfast Cowboys at www.cdbaby.com/cd/belfastcowboys.