{"id":27793,"date":"2024-07-10T05:30:30","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T09:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=27793"},"modified":"2024-07-09T11:52:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T15:52:28","slug":"album-review-the-wicked-lo-down-out-of-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/10\/album-review-the-wicked-lo-down-out-of-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: The Wicked Lo-Down \u2013 Out of Line"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Formed in 2020 just prior to the world hitting the pause button, New England-based quintet The Wicked Lo-Down builds its sound on a combination of r&b and Texas blues. Led by guitarist Paul Size and vocalist Nick David, the group got busy making a debut album. Self-released in 2022, We Hot<\/i> was a nine-song collection (plus a radio edit of one track) that showcased the band\u2019s strengths. That disc\u2019s most-played cut is the title track, a gritty and stomping blues number that recalls both ZZ Top and the late (and former Fabulous Thunderbird) Nick Curran.<\/p>\n

Signed to Gulf Coast Records, the band returns in 2024 with its second long player, the self-produced Out of Line<\/i>. Boasting substantially higher production values and a more streamlined sonic aesthetic, Out of Line<\/i> is a more fully realized showcasing of the group\u2019s musical assets.<\/p>\n

Right out of the gate, \u201cKill Me or Keep Me\u201d introduces the band\u2019s tight and forceful musical approach. While the song itself is solid and catchy, it\u2019s Size\u2019s comparatively lengthy lead guitar break that serves as the tune\u2019s centerpiece. And Size isn\u2019t one of those one-tone players; \u201cMarchin\u2019 On\u201d presents a significantly different guitar part; the song successfully combines the blues aesthetic with a more rock\/soul arrangement.<\/p>\n

Once again, David\u2019s powerful lead vocal and Size\u2019s searing guitar work are the ingredients that will catch most listeners\u2019 ears, but the rock-solid playing of the rest of the group is what makes the music move along. Second guitarist Jeffrey Berg, bassist Brad Hallen and Nick Toscano on drums all play with power, finesse and of-one-mind musical simpatico. Hallen\u2019s muscular bass work deserves special mention.<\/p>\n

A self-contained unit, The Wicked Lo-Down proves time and again on this record that they can succeed musically without outside help. That said, guest players Mike Zito (on \u201cOut of Line\u201d) and Monster Mike Welch (lead guitar on \u201cToxic\u201d) each add their own special sauce to the band\u2019s recipe. Zito\u2019s sizzling, melodic fretwork fits neatly into the band\u2019s sound, and Welch spars breathtakingly with Size during his guest spot.<\/p>\n

The surf guitar tones on \u201cPut Up With You\u201d are wedded to a slinky jazz aesthetic that provides a great opportunity for David to showcase the breadth of his vocal style. Nick David\u2019s harp blowing on \u201cYou Don\u2019t Know Me\u201d makes a strong tune even better; Size\u2019s clean picking on the track provides a nice contrast with the more distorted guitar tones on the record\u2019s other tunes. The band knows how to swing hard while keeping the solid groove going.<\/p>\n

With Out of Line<\/i>, The Wicked Lo-Down manage the neat trick of having it both ways. Listeners who delight in well-crafted songs \u2013 tunes that are more than mere canvases for solos \u2013 will find plenty to like. And those whose tastes lean toward extended lead guitar workouts will find their needs more than satisfied.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Formed in 2020 just prior to the world hitting the pause button, New England-based quintet The Wicked Lo-Down builds its sound on a combination of r&b and Texas blues. Led […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27794,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,49,65],"tags":[5455],"class_list":["post-27793","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blues","category-new-release","category-review","tag-the-wicked-lo-down","cat-9-id","cat-49-id","cat-65-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27793"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27793\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27795,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27793\/revisions\/27795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27793"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27793"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}