L.A. natives Taylor Locke (of Rooney) and Charlotte Froom (of The Like) have united with Chris Price and Mikey McCormack (of Everybody Else) to form Taylor Locke & the Roughs. With a combination of experience and talent you get an excellent disc that rocks with a classic flavor and modern style on the opener “Start Me Over.” Like a mix of Kings of Leon and Rooney with a bit of Badfinger thrown in, this is a true “supergroup” that knows what it’s doing. “Jennifer In High Heels” is a classic rock tune with muscular rhythms, cowbell, and guitar that struts through the melody. The album starts pretty strong and glides into greatness as it continues. The frantic “Reach For The Sky” jumps everywhere with Queen-like choruses, manic Moon-like drum passages, and Locke’s incredible vocal energy.”Hourglass” and “Joy” delivers sparkling harmonies similar to Bleu, Jellyfish and ELO pop perfection. “Amnesia” is another catchy gem that echoes both Paul McCartney and Eric Carmen. The 70’s West Coast rock influences are strong, but they do not overwhelm this band’s unique sound. “I’ll Be Gone” has soft harmonies and bluesy harmonica, “Weekend Warrior” is an irresistible Dave Edmunds styled romp that will get your body moving to beat. “What Have I Done” is a power ballad that shows a winning passion in the songwriting. “Stay Awhile” is a Posies/Weezer hybrid that ends off a perfect album. Once I heard this I kept it in my disc player for the past few days, and I see no reason to remove it as it hits the melodic ball out of the park. This is a brilliant debut album that shouldn’t be missed – Hell, it’s so far my pick for best of 2010.
MySpace | Not Lame | Kool Kat Musik | Amazon
