Music: THe BAcksliders: Thank You
Our Take
Texas based THe BAcksliders have been around since 2005 and in that span of time have already managed to put out three full length albums. Now I know you’re thinking that the capitalization of the H in the and the second a in BAcksliders but this is typically how the band is referred to (which is more than likely due to the fact that a couple of other groups have used this name over the years). The group’s third full length Thank You just came out a few months back, and they are offering it as a free download on their website. And though it’s not necessarily going to be your new favorite album, one can’t deny that it does have some fun moments.
The instrumentals on Thank You are a mixture of rock ‘n roll, blues rock, and a little bit of punk. This is a pretty natural sounding mix as all three of these genres do have some common elements, and as a result the majority of the songs that THe BAcksliders have written have quite a bit of energy to them. However, it is worth mentioning that the group is a little more memorable when they are playing faster paced songs, as the more laid back blues rock songs on Thank You feel a little too generic and lack the intensity and hooks that the others do. It isn’t enough to drag the entire release down, but most listeners are likely to find that they go back to the fast punk/rock ‘n roll tracks more frequently because of how good the hooks are on those particular songs.
Singer Kim Bonner takes the spotlight for the majority of Thank You, but there are moments when two of the other members of the band are given the chance to shine. I’ve seen some other sites out there compare her vocals to Janis Joplin, and this is a fair assessment as she has a slightly raspy voice that is similar at times. However, this vocal style also has its disadvantages, as while Kim is able to keep things together for the majority of the album there is a song or two where her voice sounds as though it is danger of going out of pitch. When the other two members of the group appear as backup vocalists they do a surprisingly good job of creating some melodic harmonies. I don’t want to discredit Kim by any means but I do feel that it would do the band some good in the future to give the male vocalists a little more time in the spotlight.
There is still room for THe BAcksliders to improve, but they do offer some genuinely catchy moments that combine older blues rock with some newer rock ‘n roll/punk. And despite my criticisms, I honestly can’t be too harsh on a band that is willing to give away an entire album’s worth of material away for free to anyone that is willing to check them out. So with that being said, I look forward to seeing how this band is able to improve and evolve in the future but for now I’ll be happy listening to what they have to offer right now.
http://www.thebacksliders.com
Chris Dahlberg
July 29, 2009
http://www.cosmosgaming.com/articles.php?id=2207&articletype=review
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