The Cold Stares – ‘Heavy Shoes’

(Mascot Records)

The Cold Stares have their musical roots in blues heavy classic rock, their brand of electric blues puts me in mind of the sort of thing The Dead Daises and Black Country Communion create but far less commercial. They are more of a blues band, but heavier than most so I’m going to use the term Heavy Blues! They may only be a duo but they make a big noise!

I can’t say I’m personally blown away by The Cold Stares, but I can appreciate the talent on display and its very easy for me to see how good they are at what they do. I can also see why they’d have traditional blues fans excited. The Blues market is extremely bloated with a niche audience which are extremely loyal that keep the blues flame burning but that bloat means theirs a poop load of sub-standard music in the mix. Given it’s laid back laconic and at times pessimistic tone it’s very easy for the Blues to be very bland and boring – these are not terms I’d use in conjunction with The Cold Stares. This album is certainly at the top of the pile and I’m confident more knowledgeable Blues fans would agree with me in pointing out this band’s superiority within the genre.

There is a genuine earthy quality to the The Cold Stares which will I’m sure connect with fans. They never feel boring or repetitive which will obviously make them more interesting for blues fans. Chris Tapp has a really deep vocal which really blows up the impact of the downbeat vocals, he has a great voice and without doubt really helps these songs stand tall. You can also tell these guys are from America, Indiana to be more precise, they have a better grasp of traditional sounding blues.

I do think you need to enjoy the Blues to appreciate what The Cold Stares give us, don’t expect something easy listening or radio friendly. That lack of commerciality doesn’t make it bad just narrows its appeal. This is a very strong album that should have blues fans licking their lips and slowly nodding along. These guys have been around a while, so if you are a traditional blues fans and not heard of them before you need to do yourself and favour and a) purchase ‘Heavy Shoes’ b) start investigating their back catalogue with the upmost urgence.

6/10

Review by Woody