Hot Stuff Management (label)
19 February 2016 (released)
10 February 2016
Three best friends from Buckeye, Arizona bonded over a love of music. While some friendship groups affiliate themselves solely with the chart dominating genre of the moment, what become immediately apparent when you press play on this trio's debut effort, is that their musical exploration started with the classic country of Johnny Cash and Conway Twitty and climaxed with their love of stadium rockers the Foo Fighters. Somewhere along the way they clearly digested the worked of Chet Atkins, Led Zeppelin, Bob Seger, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple and Jeff Buckley. The rich pool of influences serves only to enhance their own sound, which can only be categorised as Blues driven, folk fused country rock.
Opening the collection is the epic lament of Black Smoke Rising. With their snarling vocals, neat guitar and understated keys, Black Smoke Rising is a journey that needs to be taken, if only to arrive at the unexpected country break out at the end of this brooding blues rock number. It is followed by the country rock of How Do You Feel Now, which is the most commercial cut of the EP and delivers a sound that Needtobreathe have been trying to craft for several years.
Misunderstood provides the EP's most heart-warming moment and has an air of nostalgia to it that is nigh on impossible to create. Lead single Standing In The Rain is an obvious choice to head up the recording, but the sax seems somewhat overblown and adds little to the song. Better Off Dead boasts a finger-picked opener and a vocal rawness that is not demonstrated elsewhere on the EP. With a real sensitivity in its delivery, this is one that will tug your heart strings.
Closing off with Street Corner Jim, Loveless Effect have penned a song that The Rolling Stones would have died to record in their early years. Delivered with a real panache, this is blues rock at its very finest.
It is within these unpredictable twists that Loveless Effect raise the game for their peers. By always defying expectation, they show an understanding of music that is beyond their years without ever losing the listenability factor that is going to be so instrumental in building their mainstream audience.
