Review Summary: The best damn rowdy rock n' roll of the decade.
It's really pleasing to see such a large amount of great rock acts emerge within the last decade. What isn't pleasing though is that only a few of these acts have a sense of rhythm that characterized the acts of the old. Where did the "roll" in "rock n' roll" go?
Enter J. Roddy Walston and the Business. The band members are:
J. Roddy Walston - Vocals and Piano
Billy Gordon - Guitar
Steve Colmus - Bass
Logan Davis - Drums
In their explosive record-label debut, the band rips through a 10-song set sounding like a revved-up mix of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, borrowing amply from their influences but filtering them through a hungry, modern sound that's all their own. Take the standout song "Used to Did" for example. What starts out as an old roadhouse piano intro quickly morphs into a frantic freakout dominated by Walston's whiskey-soaked howl and a trademark pounding piano (Ralston has continuously proclaimed that he isn't a keyboard kind of guy).
Augmenting Walston's charismatic presence is a tight backing band that's just as powerful as him; Billy Gordon's guitar work roars and screeches alongside Walston (He even demonstrates some excellent slide work on the fantastic closer "Use Your Language") while Steve Colmus and Logan Davis combine to make a deadly rhythm section that refuses to let up. The band's limitless energy and top-notch musicianship are a foundation throughout the album, and aside from the burning heartache of "Caroline", they supply an never-ending dose of enthusiasm that even makes lesser numbers such as "Don't Get Old" or "I Don't Wanna Hear It" endlessly listenable.
It's also important to note that Walston has a knack for a catchy song. Even though the amazing one-two punch of "Pigs and Pearls" and "Brave Man's Death" respectively deal with the dark subjects of betrayal and patricide, they steadily build up to epic choruses that make you want to grab a pitcher of beer and dance shoulder-to-shoulder with your best buds. Such brooding subject matter shouldn't make you want to shake your ass off, but after listening to the lead-single opener "Don't Break the Needle", you'll be focusing your attention more to thrusting your hips than the perils of heroin.
All in all, this 37-minute stampede ends up being a hell of a ***ing album. J. Roddy Walston and the Business have fleshed out a wild masterpiece that successfully puts the "roll" back into "rock n' roll" and ends up being just as glorious and celebratory as the music made by the influences they draw so heavily from. Hell, this is the best damn rowdy rock n' roll of the decade! Music like this is timeless, and I can guarantee that you'll be breaking your record needle from repeatedly playing this album
