Album Review: Toadies – The Charmer

Toadies have been around while; the band came together in 1989 in Fort Worth, releasing their debut album that same year. While that self-released disc Slaphead didn’t sell, they kept at it. And by ‘94 Toadies were signed with Interscope, and the band’s major-label debut Rubberneck went Platinum, topping the Heatseekers album chart. They seemed to be on their way.

But it would be five years before Hell Below/Stars Above appeared, and it sold only a fraction of its predecessor. The group went inactive shortly thereafter. And that might have seemed the end of the Toadies story.

Yet by 2006 the group returned, with three of the four members who had made Hell Below/Stars Above. The band released the well-regarded No Deliverance in 2008, and have continued with the same lineup ever since. 2026’s The Charmer is the sixth album from the band in its second run.

The melodic grunge of “Ash’s Theme” opens the album. If the listener didn’t know the tune was an instrumental, they might wait patiently for vocals to come in. But the track works without singing. “Come to Life” weds some tight vocal harmonies to a crunchy tune. There juxtaposition is a bit odd, but it’s remarkably effective. The album’s title track is built around some simple and straightforward riffing, and the stripped-down production aesthetic – almost demo-ish – provides the right sonic context for the tune.

Perhaps a bit distressingly, the stuttering guitar figure that opens “I Wanted to be Everywhere” will strike many listeners as too familiar by half: “Didn’t all the previous songs open the same way?” Thought of as a Toadies signature, it passes muster, but remains a bit worrisome nonetheless, at least for those who value variety. To be fair, the song does get more interesting as it unfolds.

“Long Time” is more upbeat, and makes use of those curious harmony vocals again. “I Walk a Line,” on the other hand, serves up an uber-heavy riff that suggests early ‘70s hard rock, or perhaps Wolfmother. It’s a bit of a jarring left turn, but a supremely effective one. No harmonies here, but then they’d be terribly out of place if they did surface.

The band shifts gears again for the acoustic-based “Get Out of Your Head.” There’s a country-folk vibe here, reminiscent of Led Zeppelin II. “Damage” is as close as Toadies come to power pop; catchy as hell, it’s a highlight of The Charmer. “Closer to You” rocks again in a ‘70s manner, but it’s ultimately less effective than “I Walk a Line,” and Vaden Todd Lewis’ vocals on the chorus border on grating.

The intentionally sluggish “Normal” is some bad-trip blooz-rock, and it comes up a bit short lyrically with too many na-na-nas. Far more interesting is “I Call Your Name,” introduced not by a stuttering riff but by some tribal drums and atmospheric guitar runs. From there it’s into traditional blues-rock riffage, delivered in swaggering, smoldering style. It’s one of the best cuts on The Charmer.

The noisy, “Gasoline Jane” ups the grunge quotient, which is fine for those who enjoy such things. Some harmonica-like guitar adds interest work The album closes with “In Bandages,” reminiscent of Nirvana at their most understated and melodic. If “In Bandages” points the way toward Toadies’ future, I’m there. But even if not, they do what they do well.