CD REVIEW: THE DATE – Sedated

Shane | 6 May 2014 | Reply

CD REVIEW: THE DATE – Sedated
Independent
July 2013
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8/10

Take one large slice of blues rock, a big sprinkle of boogie, and throw in some truly imaginative guitar work and some of the coolest vocals you’ll hear, and you have a pretty good idea of where The Date pin their starting point.

From openers Let Me Drive and Seize The Day, Sedated show that there is far more to The Date than JUST a blues rock band. For starters, any more laid back and David Moran’s vocals would be horizontal, but somehow he imbues them with all the personality of a laconic Bon Scott-type character. Rob Susanto’s guitar playing is never short of stunning – think Billy Gibbons meets Eddie Van Halen meets Malcolm Young for a unique combo. And don’t discount Mark Thomas, whose drumming is the lynchpin that holds the whole shebang together.

I Don’t Mind is another standout, a slower scorcher that burns bright, before Strictly Pace lets Susanto send out some more sparks from his axe. Sign Up For Summer makes a dreary grey day like today simply unacceptable, while One For My Baby is a great old drinking-with-your-mates boogie. Rough Cut closes the curtain with some more zooming guitar work from Susanto and as the dust settles you can’t help but think, ‘I’ll have a bit more of that!’ and start all over again.

https://www.facebook.com/TheDateBand

http://www.thedate.com.au