Review: The Cold Stares ‘The Southern’

Review: The Cold Stares ‘The Southern’

By Hal Horowitz

Bass player? Who needs one of those?

That seemed to be the thought process throughout The Cold Stares’ initial five albums. The Indiana based blues-rocking duo was doing fine emulating the early stripped-down guitar/drums lineups of The White Stripes and The Black Keys. But likely as the result of increased popularity garnered through constant touring, they reconsidered and hired a four string bottom player in 2022, just in time for 2023s impressive Voices.

It was a smart move.

On album number seven, The Southern (released September 6), bassist Bryce Klueh joins drummer Brian Mullins and frontman/guitarist/songwriter Chris Tapp. He is now fully integrated into the trio and plays a crucial sonic role in this set’s success.

Advance notes alert us to how Tapp, the band’s sole songwriter, emphasized his Southern rock roots on this project. He and drummer Mullins are from Western Kentucky, and those influences have been evident in their sound. So, on the appropriately titled The Southern, Tapp taps into what he perceives as a deeper exploration of his origins in the South. That’s not as evident in the music which, generally, isn’t a major change from the rugged bluesy, at times metal inflected, riff-based rocking he has reliably cranked out over the past decade.

However, on the mid-tempo “Coming Home” where Tapp sings “And I don’t know why I stay gone so long” there’s a sense of longing to return to his birthplace. That’s enhanced by acoustic strumming which kicks off the tune with a country-ish sound. The swampy mood that suffuses “Seven Ways to Sundown,” with Mullins’ playing congas, takes us below the Mason-Dixon line, then switches to a more metal-bathed lick worthy of AC/DC that typifies The Cold Stares’ work.

On “Giving It Up,” The Cold Stares put their driving machine into fifth gear, roaring into muscular rawking with nitro-fueled intensity, sexually charged lyrics and a roaring guitar solo adding to the tough, chugging rhythm. It’s sure to be a concert highlight.

The atmosphere darkens on the simmering, “Level Floor Blues” where bassist Klueh sets the ominous tone and Tapp sings about a girlfriend’s parents running him out of town. “You know her daddy got money/And her momma too/They said son we don’t want to see her/Hanging round the likes of you.” Is it a true story? Hard to say, but it’s sung with the passion and honesty of one.

On the mid-tempo “Blow Wind Blow,” Tapp encourages an ex-lover to return while crafting lots of weather references with “Baby I could be your shelter/I’ll keep you safe from the storms” on a tune that would fit well in any Kenny Wayne Shepherd collection.

The thick as a redwood tree trunk guitar lick that propels the beginning of “Woman” trades places with a more melodic one as Tapp pines for the love of an imaginary woman to keep him company singing “Heartaches and restlessness/A heavy weight upon my chest/Loneliness can break a man” with a raw soulful voice conveying the song’s longing.

On the closing “Mortality Blues,” Tapp unplugs for a riveting solo performance playing resonator guitar. It’s highlighted by personal lyrics of “I can’t see how some folks set their mind set on dying/When I’m doing my best just to stay alive” relating to a brush with death and referencing his earlier bout with cancer.

Those who have enjoyed The Cold Stares’ previous work, will flock to The Southern’s similar gutsy rocking, leavened by a few touches of the red clay music that influenced Tapp and Mullins in their formative years.

And the bass sounds great.

Pre-order The Southern Here

“Coming Home”