You never quite know what you’re going to get when a new album from DeWolff arrives on the scene. Will it be the DeWolff of more rock-oriented albums like 2018’s Thrust? Or the rock and dance with a touch of jazz on 2023’s Love, Death & In Between? Or the more hazy soundscapes on 2021’s Wolfpack?
You also don’t have to wait too long for a new DeWolff album. In existence only since 2007, they’ve released somewhere in the region of ten studio albums, plus several ‘live’ albums as well as a couple of EP’s. Sloths they are not, DeWolff sings for their supper.
Muscle Shoals is a rock ‘n roll soul-infused album recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals studio, Alabama, where you could create a very credible rock ‘n roll Hall of Fame purely from some of the classic songs and artists who’ve recorded here. As band main man Pablo Van de Poel states, “You can feel some kind of rock ‘n roll magic in the air there”.
Did the magic catch on? What’s on offer here is a band attempting to use the influence of some of the greats who’ve gone before them at this legendary studio. Too many to name and they’ve largely succeeded. Their efforts fall on the right side of acceptability. If you were expecting a more rock album, you’d be disappointed. The almost infectious ‘cool’ of the South has permeated their souls and they give us a range of tunes which suggest they have a real love for the music of this setting.
‘Out On The Town’ has the feel of the Allman Brothers, especially with the sound of the Hammond, with only gruntin’ Greg missing. ‘Natural Woman’ (no, not Aretha’s song) and ‘Truce’ are basic three-piece format rock tunes with a southern twist, with sax added to the latter track. ‘Ophelia’ could become a stage favourite, a southern boogie drenched with good southern keyboards and a positive feel, and ‘Hard To Make A Buck’ is a slice of good chugging southern rock.
One thing DeWolff achieves on this album is a ‘groove,’ when they really get one going on, the quality ramps up. Like on ‘Winner (When It Comes To Losing)’ with its superb guitar break and fine keyboard sound, with ‘Fools And Horses’ achieving the same feel. Two fine tracks indeed. But for me, ‘Snowbird’ is the standout track by some distance. Airy and atmospheric, it’s got more in common with albums like Thrust than being in Muscle Shoals, with keyboards dominating to great effect – it’s a superb track.
The undoubted musicianship of this band and their ability to get a groove going means we are transported back to the seventies. They’d be well at home on bills with bands like the Allmans. As it stands, this is a fine album, showing their time in these legendary studios wasn’t wasted.
