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BANDS: Punk
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12 Pearls - Down To The Last Drop
Its a roots rock revival, and this time its out of
Stillwater, OKor wait, is it roots rock?
It may not finish that way, but thats how 12 Pearls' debut CD Down
to the Last Drop starts out armed with the guitar jams, bluesy
undertones and throaty vocals that tend to characterize the genre.
The dynamic rhythms of track two, Dim, (one of the albums best)
bring Phish to mind, except with a harder edge.
You can tell the band must get a kick out of playing this tune live.
Track three, What Is True, is unmistakably more poppy than the
first two, with its catchy hooks and melody, and complete with clapping.
The middle of this disc sags a bit I couldve done
without the Bon Jovi-like, power ballad ironically titled Power of One, as
well as Right and Wrong, which dances dangerously close to generic,
Matchbox 20 territory. Another
standout track is She, which starts out great, but the abrupt chorus slows
this song down too much from the cool guitar jams in between. Still, 12 Pearls
redeems itself with more rootsy tracks like Jade, which seem to present the
band in its most comfortable style of playing. The biggest surprise on Down to the Last Drop is the
closing track, Truth, which is a garage punk tune. (Im not kidding, by
the way.) Lead singer, Jordan
Doolen doesnt really have a punk rock voice, but the band definitely seems to
have fun with this one, especially the drummer.
The guys in 12 Pearls no doubt like to mix things up and keep
it interesting, but coming from Oklahoma, can you really blame them?
Mixing things up is fun, but the best songs on this album are the ones
with that rootsy feel, and that seems like the best direction for 12 Pearls.
Down to the Last Drop remains a respectable first effort. Look for the bands sophomore release later this year, as
well as a follow up tour this summer.
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