Search - Big Head Todd & the Monsters :: Rocksteady

Big Head Todd and the Monsters

Sean Marten | Portland, Oregon | 07/22/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, Big Head Todd and the Monsters have truly knocked one out of the ballpark this time.



"Rocksteady" is a finely crafted, very focused lovechild of classic American soul and Caribbean styles, all cooked up with the breezy confidence BHTM have mastered over many years of touring and recording. And don't let the Caribbean reference throw you -- it's in there, but if this CD makes you think of another artist, it's more likely to be Al Green than Bob Marley.



Mostly originals, there are some inspired covers -- a plaintive version of the Rolling Stone's "Beast of Burden" definitely satisfies, and their cover of Howlin' Wolf's greasy blues warhorse "Smokestack Lightnin'" might seem out of place, but it fits like the last piece of a puzzle.



Supposedly the first of two albums worth of recording, I'm already looking forward to the next one."

Rocksteady has it all.

Downeaster | Maine | 07/22/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is not a hard-hitting, in your face, rock out kind of album... but that was never the intent. Don't worry. Big Head Todd and the Monsters haven't lost a step or gone soft, rather they've taken a specific direction for Rocksteady, and in doing so, they've created a cohesiveness that starts immediately and carries through to the last track, and that's what makes this album unique from it's predecessors.



That's not to say the album doesn't rock. It does. Just not in the way you might expect. Their appreciation of different types of music are evident and whether it's R&B, soul, funk, blues, jazz or even a caribbean flair, they choose to embrace these influences instead of burying them. The title track and "Happiness Is" are head bobbin', toe-tappin', groovin' songs. "Beautiful" is well... beautiful as are the harmonies on "After Gold." The chorus of "I Hate it When You're Gone" just puts a smile on my face. I'm hard-pressed to find something I don't like.



It's an ambitious album made even more so by producing 3 covers, but they tackle them with such poise, spin and shine they become definitively BHTM's like Tom Russell's "Muhammad Ali" and Howlin Wolf's "Smokestack Lightening". Like their cover of Zeppelin's "Tangerine", I prefer BHTM's version of "Beast of Burden" to the Stone's original(I know... sacrilege).



Rocksteady has horns a plenty, disco beats, licks and chops, fantastic bass, amazing singing and harmonies. It's got it all, even the album art and packaging is cool! I confess, I'm usually more of a hard rocker, but this is just about damn perfect.



"

Great Music

Bruce Brown | Wichita, Kansas USA | 07/22/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"R&B elements. Carribbean vibe. Fun tunes.

Rocksteady, Beautiful, Hate it when you're gone, and People Train. All have a feel of freshness from this talented band.

Beast of Burden is off the charts great. Best cover of this ever.

And blues of Smokestack Lightning. Wow.

These tunes really grow on you the way R&B should.

Can't wait to see what could possibly be next from musicans and writer like this.



Highly recommended."