Review: The Commoners – Restless
Gypsy Soul Records (July 5th, 2024)
Reviewer: Peter Scallan
Another band that has recently come to my attention is The Commoners. They appeared in a playlist on Spotify and sounded right up my street. A band I know nothing about, they are a four piece usually augmented by a regular keyboard player. Hailing from Canada, ‘Restless‘ is their third album, but the first I have heard.
‘Devil Teasin’ Me‘ opens with some reverb-laden feedback before launching into a blues rock riff augmented with some powerful organ chords in the background. However, once Chris Medhurst’s vocals kick in, the track sounds like it could be from Davy Knowles’ ‘Coming Up for Air’ album, which for me is a bonus. A melodic blues rocker which sets a high standard from the get-go. Next up is ‘Shake You Off‘ and there is no mistaking the self-confessed Black Crowes influence. The riff and the guitar motif break at the end of each riff and the vocals cut this out as totally Crowes-inspired but without sounding like a carbon-copy. ‘The Way I Am‘ is next and while it has some Crowes DNA in there, especially around the bridge and chorus, the verse has a lighter funkier groove built round the bass. The vocals also take the song further away from the Crowes influence in places. ‘Restless‘ opens with acoustic guitar and the band join briefly driving the rhythm of the song. However, once it drops back into the verse with the acoustic guitar carrying the rhythm, it strangely sounds more like a Beatles song. However, the penny drops when homing into the vocals which sound like a low register Robin Zander. When the remainder of the band rejoin the song there are some nice harmony guitars. This song demonstrates these guys are not just a one trick pony intent on using the blueprint of their heroes. ‘Gone Without a Warning‘ opens with a superb guitar chop before the band comes thundering in with pace and really rocking. Heading into the verse the riff turns into a huge staccato guitar chop with vocals over the pacey drum beat. It demonstrates a slightly heavier, rockier side to the repertoire.
‘Who Are You‘ opens with guitar and thumping rhythm and then thunders along for a few bars before dropping into twelve-barish based rocker with guitar and organ playing alternating parts before leading into a simple yet catchy chorus. The mood changes somewhat for ‘Body and Soul‘ with an atmospheric intro and the part continues into the verse. There are some really neat powerful guitar licks interspersed and these and the vocal again remind me of Davy Knowles. This is about as close these guys get to a slow blues number, clocking in at just over five and a half minutes. Having said, there is a quirky/strange break almost exactly in the middle of the song where I thought the song was going to end. If I am honest, after numerous listens, I still don’t get that stuttering rhythm and accompanying vocals. ‘See You Again‘ opens with an acoustic guitar part which is reminiscent of early 70s Rod Stewart which indicates the influence here is going straight to source and bypassing the Crowes. However, the initial vocal melody makes it sound like a song from ‘Shake Your Money Maker’, but it soon establishes its own identity albeit with those influences present. Another great chorus for this acoustic ballad with great backing vocals and keyboards providing beautiful textures. It’s also another indication of the songwriting variety on offer. The laid-back mood continues with ‘Too Soon To Know You‘ which has an acoustic feel but ebbs and flows more with the light and shade provided between verse and chorus. There are some nice harmony guitars that have a light Allman brothers feel to them and nice breakdown in the middle that builds up to the final choruses and a long run out. Ultimate track ‘All That We Have‘, takes the groove down further with another great acoustic number with some lush lead vocals and a great chorus. Surprisingly, the song is just vocals and acoustic guitar and finishes on a note that that provides a feeling of issues unresolved.
My initial impression from the first few songs was that these guys were going to be a great band just trying to be the Black Crowes. However, as the album progressed there seemed to be a process of the band slowly revealing themselves as something a little different, albeit within a genre. There is great light and shade and other influences at play with these guys. However, the real ace in the pack for them is Chris Medhurst’s voice, and when I say voice, I mean voice and not vocals. The tone and timbre of his voice cuts him out from the rest of the vocalists in this field, as quite simply, he doesn’t sound like anybody else. Consequently, as the focal point of the songs, the band can show some of those influences but never be accused of being a carbon copy around Medhurst’s voice. They also differentiate themselves through the song running order by having the balls to get into the final third of the album and taking the power and volume down a few notches. Ending the album with a simple, yet beautiful ballad with only vocals and acoustic guitar, this is another way these guys take a chance within their genre and pull it off spectacularly. A damn fine effort and I must go and do some more homework on these guys and investigate the first two albums. This is well worth your hard-earned cash in my opinion!
Tracklist:
1. Devil Teasin’ Me (4.25)
2. Shake You Off (4.00)
3. The Way I Am (3.42)
4. Restless (5.17)
5. Gone Without Warning (7.07)
6. Who Are You (Ain’t Knocked Down) (4.15)
7. Body And Soul (5.34)
8. See You Again (4.42)
9. Too Soon To Know You (5.11)
10. All That We Have (3.20)
The Commoners – July 2024 UK Tour
Special Guest: *Madison Galloway
July 19th – *The Grace, London
July 20th – Maid of Stone Festival
July 21st – *Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
July 23rd – *KK’s Steel Mill, Wolverhampton
July 24th – *Arlington Arts Centre, Reading
July 25th – *Night & Day Cafe, Manchester
July 26th – *The Caves, Edinburgh
July 27th – *Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds
July 28th – Steelhouse Festival
Discover more from ROCKPOSER DOT COM!
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.