Soulshake Express
Heavy Music
Beatville
On paper, Sweden’s Soulshake Express have all the ingredients to be a great band. Blues-soaked guitar licks, a foot planted deep in the mud of ’60s era garage rock, and just a smidgen of funk. It sounds like one tasty band, yet somehow Heavy Music plays like a psychedelic-dipped Bon Jovi album.
The problem lies not within the melodies or musical arrangements, but within the vocals of David Eriksson. He comes off like a dude trying too hard to impress. Songs that otherwise soar, like “Little Lover” and “I Don’t Mind,” become chores to get through thanks to Eriksson’s voice. Because of this, the most consistent track on the album is the Wolfmother-esque “Make It Last,” a song almost completely without vocals.
This band has such potential to be great, but it’s a shame that the album falls so far from the mark.
Soulshake Express: http://www.myspace.com/thesoulshakeexpress
