Ghost Hounds
By Mark Hudson
As John Lee Hooker said, “The blues is a feeling, you can’t get it out of no book.” And the Pittsburgh based blues/rock band Ghost Hounds cut deep to the bone on their emotionally charged new album, You Broke Me out May 13 via Maple House Records.
This is modern blues/rock at its best, dynamic and fresh, whilst also paying tribute to the roots of the genre. The overarching themes here are heartache and lost love, staples of the blues for sure, and the band delivers with a clear-eyed intensity and an uncompromising swagger – they may be down but they are most definitely not out!
Ghost Hounds was formed by guitarists Thomas Tull and Johnny Baab, and the lineup is completed by Joe Munroe on keys, Bennett Miller on bass, Blaise Lanzetta on drums, and lead vocalist Tre’ Nation.
You Broke Me is their third album, co-written by Tull and producer Kevin Bowe, and the band have already impressed folks enough to tour with Bob Seger, ZZ Top and The Rolling Stones.
It’s easy to see why as soon as the first track kicks in. “Baby We’re Through” is a punchy opener, a brisk brush off song with the feel of an early ZZ Top shuffle. The band steam like a freight train, cool it down for a moment, then slam it home with fiery guitars.
It is immediately evident that Tre’ Nation is the band’s ace in the pack. He is a gritty and confident singer, able to switch easily from soulful intimacy to paint stripping intensity, often within the same song. When he preaches, you better listen.
Their cover of the Howlin’ Wolf classic “Smokestack Lightning” starts with a feral burst of guitar, and Nation growling the initial lines acapella before that classic riff surfaces. The band then settle into a loping groove along with some rippling barrelhouse piano from Munroe. It takes a very self-assured band to tackle such a seminal blues number, and they carry it off superbly.
Title track “You Broke Me” continues with a slow blues lament, with Nation testifying over scalding guitar licks from Tull and Baab. Slow blues can be tricky, often descending into cliché, but Ghost Hounds avoid that trap by virtue of their ferocious commitment.
The band then ups the tempo and lightens the mood with “Willie Brown,” a sprightly, mostly instrumental harp workout. Then it’s back to deep soul blues with the first of two versions of “Through Being Blue Over You,” showcasing another fine Nation vocal as he vows to move on from a failed affair. Some more nice harp on this one too.
The band stay in that smoldering pocket with “Still You,” with Munroe’s meaty Hammond percolating and cooking in the background as the guitars spit and boil. “On Your Trail” is a short n’ sassy boogie driven by rollicking roadhouse 88’s and the band cuts loose and rocks out.
In stark contrast is “Lonesome Graveyard,” a dark and foreboding blues as befits its title. Nation’s world-weary vocal invokes the restless voodoo spirits of long-gone souls. “Sleep on, sleep on” Nation repeats hypnotically, “I know one day, the graveyard gonna be my home.” This is low lonesome music to chill your spine.
This excellent album then closes with an acoustic reprise of “Through being blue over you” with some fine finger picking.
The blues is a feeling for sure. And the Ghost Hounds will make you feel it on You Broke Me.
Listen to “Smokestack Lightning”
Pre-Order/Pre-Save Link for You Broke Me
Ghost Hounds website
Love this group and their cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s classic! Nice review!
These guys are wonderful. I don’t buy many CDs these days, but I bought the first 2 from these guys and will get this one to.