Skip to main content

Review: Lifeline by Hybrid Blues

Hybrid Blues are one of those groups whose name perfectly describes their sound in a way that's both direct and slightly obscure too. Their music is certainly blues at it's heart, but this isn't raw, stripped back blues, it's a wonderous conglomeration of electric blues, folk, funk and soul. It's definitely a hybrid with many other styles, but in the name they leave those things deliberately unspecified. On their latest single Lifelife, Hybrid Blues bring all this together into a fabulously catchy, laid-back tune that is also soaked in the honesty and emotion that only the blues can provide.

As I've mentioned before, I was brought up on this type of blues, so hearing a band that reminds me of the artists so imbedded in my memory, like The Bluesbreakers, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, fills my heart with a unique affection. Hailing from New Zealand, Hybrid Blues have members with experience living and performing across the globe, and with this experience comes a particular worldly sense to their music. 

The first thing to note about Lifeline is how good the performances are. There's a definite balance needed in electric blues between exuberance and restraint, and Hybrid Blues hit that equilibrium perfectly. The bass playing and the drumming are both full of discrete nuances but they also stay locked into the groove no matter how funky things get. The guitar lines are especially well crafted, with the licks and solo being varied and interesting whilst still retaining that vital blues flavour. The lead vocals are brilliant throughout, full of effortless soul but with just the right amount of fragility, and they combine with the backing vocals magnificently in the chorus.

The song-writing is absolutely top-notch too. It's easy for blues to get stuck in the same old tropes over and over, and while this style of music will never sound wholly original due to it's nature, there are some wonderfully subtle moments in Lifeline that provide an exciting depth. The key changes are classy, and rather than just being a novelty they actually form an essential part of the song. There is a nice dynamism to the song-writing too, as the track steadily builds up it's instrumental layers on every transition.

Lifeline is a seriously addictive piece of electric blues which manages to evoke the classic sounds of the genre in a way which never feels overly vintage. There is a modernism to the song-writing too that really elevates Lifeline into much more that just a catchy blues tune. Hybrid Blues are hitting all the right notes, both literally and metaphorically.


Lifeline will be released on April 9th, and you can find out more about Hybrid Blues on their website.

You can also check them out on Facebook, Instagram, Soundcloud, Spotify and Youtube.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Voodoo Macbeth by The Judex

In the modern age, garage rock is one of those genre tags which manages to be somewhat intangible yet also quite specific at the same time; you know the kind of sounds to expect, yet it's also quite hard to pinpoint exactly what defines those sounds as garage rock. Sure there's fuzzy punk rock guitars, relentlessly loud drums and booming rock'n'roll vocals, but then you could say that about any number of genres. The nature of garage rock is more in it's historical outlook, and the utilisation of influences from a bygone era. That doesn't mean garage rock should be a genre reserved specifically for a niche subculture though, because while there is a rich fandom around the style, the best garage rock bands are those who can, musically at least, transcend some of the clichés inherent in those vintage tropes. This is where we find Philadelphia natives The Judex, a four piece whose intense form of garage rock blends in elements from blues, soul, rockabilly and punk. ...
1 comment
Read more

Review: Apparitions by Joe Hodgson

As someone who has played guitar for close to two decades, I understand that the relationship with the instrument can run deep. There is something both beautifully elemental and wildly creative about the guitar which makes it such an endearing medium. But you don't have to be a wizard with the six strings to make amazing music, and those who do verge on the conjuring side often fall into a trap, losing the inherent soulfulness of the instrument for the sake of technical mastery and virtuosic ability. That line can be a fine one to balance on, and getting the equilibrium right is something many a musician has struggled with when putting the guitar as their centrepiece. From the shredding of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani or Tosin Abasi, to the electric blues of Albert King, Gary Moore or Buddy Guy, it can be all too easy for compositions to end up sounding like one big guitar solo. It takes the ingenuity and skill that all these artists possess to elevate guitar instrumentals into somethin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: At The Boiling Point by Marshall Oakman

There's something about boogie-woogie in it's modern form that is incredibly joyous. The melting pot of blues, rock n roll and r'n'b that defines the style is infectious but, certainly for those of us in the UK at least, it's rarely heard outside of Jools Holland's TV show jams. And when you do hear it, it's rarely done as well as Marshall Oakman's At The Boiling Point, an instantly catchy and remarkably well composed track that hits every mark a great modern boogie-woogie track should. Marshall Oakman may not be a familiar name, but over his extensive career the New York based musician has forged an impressive path not only as a talented songwriter but also a tremendous performer, with a strong reputation across the Eastern US. For his latest single he has enlisted the help of fellow New Yorkers Kasim Sulton on bass, Liberty DeVitto on drums and Paul Pesco on guitar, all of whom come with fantastic experience and provide skilful playing on the track. At...
Post a Comment
Read more