Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen – Break It Down
Quad-D Records
13 tracks
Dustin Douglas & The Electric Gentlemen are touted as purveyors of late 60s and 70’s blues-laced rock-n-roll. Hailing from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, this power rock trio is, well, a power rock trio. I am not a stickler for the blues going in lots of different directions, but this is not a lot of blues here.
Led by Douglas who is lead guitarist, singer and songwriter, the other two parts of the trio are Tommy Smallcomb on drums and Matt “The Dane” Gabriel on bass. Having a prior CD and EP, this new CD contains one track from last year’s EP.
The album opens with a Funk/R&B/Soul Rock tune called “A LIttle Bit.” A funky beat is maintained. “Destiny” has an acid induced sort of JAmes Gang sound to it. A heavy wall of bass and guitar sounds are thrown up, a simple beat is maintained and Douglas wails on the guitar. Interesting? Sure. But it’s more alternative punk rock than anything else. “On The Dance Floor” is up next and it does have a blues feel to it; this rocker is mid tempo paced and offers a little of the early rock blues feel. The vocals are bluesy with guitar resembling Ozzie Osborne. “Turn Around” also has a little bit of a blues edge to it, a ballad of sorts. It resembles more of a psychedelic rock ballad than blues really . “Goodbye” is up next; it definitely has a slower rock anthem feel to it. Heavy guitar, heavy vocals. “‘Hold Of Me” has a little of that earlier rock feel to it but is more an 80’s rock anthem and does not sound too new to me.
“My Time Is Precious” has a beat that feels like a copy a Prince tune but does it not flow as well. Interesting guitar. “Ain’t No Denying” offers up some guitar that is again like 80’s rock. “Out Of My Mind” offers more of the same. The tone and timber of “Fat Cat” is late 70’s rock with a nice guitar solo. We get a little more of that in “Your Face Is Stunning.” “Tragedy” has a different feel to it. It’s alternative rock in one way yet it hearkens to something I’ve heard before and can’t place. The album ends with “No More Tears To Cry” which starts out like old style delta blues in the AAB format. It’s what blues artists over 80 or 90 years ago might sound like today if they had electric guitars and amps.
The riffs are interesting. The vocals are dirty and nasal but are not exactly my cup of tea. If you want a retro rocker with some minor hits of updated blues and are looking for something very different, then this might be for you.
