Initially beginning life in 2012 as a two-piece band, similar to The White Stripes, and releasing their first five albums as a duo, The Cold Stares (TCS) became a trio in 2022 when longtime friend Bryce Klueh added his bass sound to Chris Tapp (vocals, guitar and main songwriter) and Brian Mullins (Drums) to widen the bands sonic palette – enabling them to channel the sounds of the power trios they grew up absorbing.
The Southern is the band’s seventh album, and their second as a trio. ‘Minimalism’ is all very well but limiting in the long run. Their previous album, Voices, and this new one have both shown the benefit of the band having expanded.
This new album reflects the heritage of TCS, which sees them diving deep into their southern roots as their standpoint is that being a southern boy isn’t just a matter of having a distinctive accent, it’s about family and tradition. This is reflected in the closing track ‘Coming Home,’ a rootsy, bluesy number echoing the depth of Southern familial ties .. “I’m coming home, back to the place I call my home”. Also with ‘Blow Wind Blow,’ which is almost a homage to Bad Company, a song about being estranged from a lover and hoping the wind blows them back home.
The music of TCS is heavy, bluesy, straight ahead and honest, and they include the occasional riff as a homage to power trios like Cream, which is evident on ‘Giving It Up’ and ‘Horse To Water,’ plus the insistent riff on ‘Looking For A Fight’. As well as being vocalist and songwriter, Chris Tapp is also a pretty fine guitar man, as he shows on ‘Confession,’ where the last three minutes of the song sound like the band’s jamming in the studio, with Chris letting rip with some fine guitar work. It’ll be interesting to see if they do this onstage. They give passing nods to the delta blues, with ‘No Love In The City Anymore’ and the slow bluesy ‘Woman’. But the pick of this bunch of fine songs, however, is ‘Mortality Blues’ .. “I’m doing my best just to stay alive” .. a gorgeous mid-paced blues, played on a Dobro, with Chris Tapp sounding eerily like Joe Bonamassa.
The Southern is a strong album, a heartfelt tribute to the culture, the heritage and the sounds which nourished TCS along the way and will do their growing rep in the UK no harm whatsoever.
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