The Detroit Cobras - Baby

    From the opening riff it's clear that this rock and roll is neither new nor old. Granted it's full of energy, with a dirty great wall of fuzzy guitars, and a passion for rare cover versions. Everything sounds vaguely familiar. The majority of the songs covered on this album aren't great pop hits of the 50s and 60s, but they might ring a bell. In this respect, The Detroit Cobras have the songs on their side. They're really not competing with the originals, a battle that is so frequently lost when covering big hits.

    When these songs were young and fresh in the 50 and 60s, innuendo was the only way to express sexuality through song, so hearing vocalist Rachel Nagy sleaze her way through them with her brash filthy vocals really gives them a new slant. The only original track on the album, Hot Dog (Watch Me Eat), takes that retro idea of innuendo and brings it right up to date while remaining just straight enough to fit with the rest of the album.

    The instrumentation can't fail to please. It's fuzzy and twangy, and the rhythm section's so tight it's almost perfect. We're treated to riff after riff, and the whole experience fits somewhere between the turbosleaze of The Cramps and the heartfelt vocals of 60s girl groups like The Flirtations.

    Nagy has an impressive talent, effortlessly belting out Everybody's Going Wild, and growling her way through subtler tracks like I Wanna Holler and It's Raining. Her only failing is an occasional hint that she might be going through the motions. There's a lack of passion and a whole lot of style in her voice and she's at risk of sounding less than convincing. Surely that's the problem with being a covers band.

Update on Monday, December 6, 2004 at 06:03PM by sisterphonetica

Brought to you in association with the reservoir.

The Detroit Cobras, King Tut's, Glasgow, 23rd November 2004

    As soon as The Detroit Cobras take to the stage you can see they're at home. Now, with most bands that's a great thing, but in the DC's case there's something missing. Kicking off with Hey Sailor, Rachel Nagy proves she's up to recreating her recorded sexy growling vocal style. Sadly it seems it's all style over substance. The hi hat heavy drums are reminiscent of the original versions of these covers, and the twangy, swampy guitars should have the crowd bumping and grinding, but, sadly, it's not to be. Lacklustre versions of great songs like Holding On and Cha Cha Twist only serve to prove the point that they're going through the motions. Technically, everything's there except enthusiasm.

    If they're trying to act cool, they're overdoing it. Something about Nagy is reminiscent of Debbie Harry, perhaps her stage presence or shades of her vocal tone. Nonetheless, she lacks sweetness or true venom, which is a pity as she's certainly capable of both going by the quality of the band's recorded work. Her delivery is sexy but detached, and the interaction between the musicians is limited. Only when the rest of the band chip in with backing vocals  does there seem to be any life in them, and it's a shame we don't hear more numbers like Ya Ya Ya and Right Around the Corner.

    Perhaps being a covers band, even one as fresh sounding as The Detroit Cobras wears you down after a while. When it comes to the encore, at last we see some energy and playfulness, almost as if they're relieved it's over.

Ray LaMontagne - The Cottier Theatre, Glasgow 19th November 2004

    From the outset, Ray LaMontagne and his double bassist Chris Thomas have the tingle factor in bucketloads. Each song buzzes with raw emotion, tenderness and joy. Having listened to his debut album Trouble, I was prepared for a great voice, but the live reality in such a small venue was overwhelming. You could hear a pin drop. If anything, the range of raw emotion conveyed by LaMontagne's voice is vaguely reminiscent of Janis Joplin. From regret to joy, each note touches the listener's heart. Onstage, LaMontagne and Thomas share a private joke or two, but his communication with the audience is difficult, and he appears bashful when talking, much preferring to show himself through his songs. The songs themselves are simple in structure and style but LaMontagne's delivery has the ability to make the mundane seem extraordinary. Songs like Burn and Jolene have the audience holding their breath while LaMontagne literally pours out his heart and soul. So many songwriters write great songs but simply don't have the vocal ability to carry them off. Not so with LaMontagne, where the songs are so simple that in other hands they might seem bland and uninteresting. Even more upbeat songs like Trouble and the encore of How Come are tinged with a poignant melancholy. Sell the shirt off your back to hear this man live.

Many thanks to www.the-reservoir.com for the tickets and opportunity to review this gig.