CD REVIEW: ATLAS ROAD CREW – Halfway To Hopkins

Shane | 12 March 2015 | Reply

CD REVIEW: ATLAS ROAD CREW – Halfway To Hopkins
Independent
14 February, 2015
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8/10

There’s a lot of Black Crowes in this South Carolina five-piece, but there’s far more to Atlas Road Crew once you scratch the surface.

There’s some serious tipping of the hat to The Rolling Stones. The soul of the Neville Brothers and southern fried boogie of The Allmans get a look in as well. Add a pinch of Creedence swampyness, and a hefty serve of rock n’ roll authenticity.

Led by singer/guitarist Taylor Nicholson, Atlas Road Crew sound like the real deal: their inspirations are in the classics, but their sound is right fucking now, with some more modern hints that add depth to the mix.

I Want You To Know is led by a driving riff and vocal, perhaps a little reminiscent of the bastard child of The Black Crowes and Matchbox Twenty. Sounds weird? It’s great! Nicholson’s voice definitely has a passing resemblance to Rob Thomas’.

Lose Control could be Exile-era Stones dragged kicking n’ screaming into the now, and Nicholson’s vocal is a killer – almost as good as Dave Beddingfield’s guitar work.

Title track Halfway To Hopkins takes a ZZ Top-styled riff and turns it into a radio hit, if radio played new rock n’ roll like they should, while Runaway is pure pop rock with an indie edge – like the most commercial Stereophonics song you can think of, but more Southern.

Halfway To Hopkins is easy to pigeonhole as southern rock, but it doesn’t do Atlas Road Crew justice – there is so much more going on here, and this is EXACTLY the sort of music we should be listening to right now: bands taking old favourites and adding new directions, writing great songs, delivering ace performances. This is the good stuff.

https://www.facebook.com/AtlasRoadCrew