Burn the Batteau – Fire and Gasoline
Self-Produced/Gorilla Puppy Records
https://www.facebook.com/burnthebatteau/
CD: 10 Songs, 47:00 Minutes
Styles: Contemporary Electric Blues Rock, Debut Album, All Original Songs
With a band name like Burn the Batteau and a debut album title like Fire and Gasoline, listeners would expect nothing less than the most incendiary electric blues rock. In this case, they’d be flat-out right. Some may call this a hard rock album disguised as a blues album. Are they right? Depends on their personal preferences. Nevertheless, this CD’s volume and instrumentation are at stadium instead of studio levels. This take-no-prisoners trio from Halifax, Virginia presents ten original tracks, several of which are solid blues numbers (as in the one reviewed below). Others would make Alice Cooper and Jimi Hendrix proud, but not Muddy Waters fans. Also, it’s nigh-impossible to discern the lyrics or any vocal subtleties when the instruments overwhelm them. Something tells me that “B the B” (as named on the back cover of the CD jacket) isn’t a band that goes for subtlety. Leave that to the coffeehouse solo artists; these guys want to rock.
Their Facebook page contains several updates on future appearances and a few links to videos. Other than that, there’s almost no background information. An online article published by the Gazette-Virginian provided some relevant info about the band’s founding, expounding upon the relationship between lead man Donnie Beadles and his first cousin David Ellis Martin on bass, keys, and harp. Sammy Garcia plays drums. “The connection and the collaboration, which would become Burn the Batteau, took place late last year when Beadles took the stage with Martin, Mike Cole, Brad Thomasson and Adam Snow to perform at one of Halifax’s Friday Night Jams at the Halifax Farmer’s Market. Believing that there was musical chemistry during that show, the two continued to rehearse at Martin’s studio, and before long they were writing original songs, often in quick succession.”
The following song is a modified version of the album’s opener, “Jealous,” and it’s a goodie.
Track 06: “Jealous” (Delta Blues) – Possessing a cool, nonchalant vibe appropriate to live jam sessions, this mirror image of track one is the sharper, clearer reflection. Its message may be simple and its beat classic, but those are the two things that make it the best song on the CD. Stellar harp from Martin here, and guess what? We get to hear Donnie Beadles sing, and he’s not half-bad. His diction’s decent, and the emotion is spot on. Put it on repeat mode on your stereo.
Burn the Batteau’s debut album may have too much rock, but not too much Fire and Gasoline!
