Pearls Before Swine

Some things just taste better when they’re homegrown. Take tomatoes for instance. Their store-bought cousins sitting in the produce section of your local grocery store are practically flavorless in comparison. The same can be said for Blues. And the bluesy rock of Pearls and Brass, sprouted in the backwoods of Nazareth Pennsylvania, tastes just about as authentic as it gets.On their self-titled debut, this trio jams out ten slabs of stoner rock with power and precision. This band would be right at home in the South during the 70s. “Stone Leaves” seamlessly combines the riffing styles of Hendrix and Black Sabbath with enough attitude and style to come off sounding like anything but a cheap imitation. The note progression in the chorus of “The Greenest Gray” climbs the fretboard with leaps and bounds.

While the rock firmly anchors this album, all three musicians command a strong delta blues vibe throughout the disc. “Long Be The Day” calms down with some acoustic finger picking reminiscent of Robert Johnson or Mississippi John Hurt with guitarist/vocalist Rand Huth utilizing a subtler vocal inflection. “1,000 Cities” offers up heaping spoonfuls of southern-fried slide guitar. The chain-gang-style backing vocals in “Spinning Wheel Blues” and “I See, Shadows, I See” enhance the “down south” effect.

With the rock resurgence of recent years and the slew of identical bands it produced, it’s refreshing to hear a group that has the patience to trace their sound back to the source as well as the talent and creativity to develop their own style amidst a sea of imitators. All the tracks are warm and full of life, making for an impressive debut.