Buzz Prophets
Kentucky
Tender Store

Kentucky is the first album by this New York based rock quartet. When I first listened through the album it sounded like some post-grunge hard rock band. But when giving the record some more spins the Buzz Prophets seems to be a more sympathetic gang than a lot of their contemporary competitors. The men behind the prophecies are: Scott Clark on vocals, Drew Wohl on guitars, Charlie Bonet (ex-Reagan Youth) on drums, and Anthonyn Mancedo on bass.

The music has got its roots in the late 60s/early 70s hard rock scene, but not of the most monstrous kind. Cream, Black Sabbath, and Deep Purple have been name-dropped to describe the sound, along with a taste of the more melancholy rock of the 90s such as Pearl Jam (which I never have been a big fan of, but that's another story). The second track, Long Time, starts with something close to Tony Iommi's trademark guitar sound. And, yes, it's the guitar-work that lifts this album above average level. The title track is by far the best track of the album, being a monumental and powerful song. There are also a lot of bubbling rhythms (bass lines) on Kentucky that sort of step away from the usual sound of music of this genre, together with the aforementioned guitar playing. However I find some of the vocal parts on the disc to be a bit too Eddie Vedderish, but, again, that's me and my P. Jam aversion.

If you're considering to buy f.i. an Aerosmith album I suggest to pick up the Buzz Prophets in stead. Which means that you avoid the cartoonish squealery of "Lippy" Tyler and the band's many embarrassing clichés. The Buzz Prophets haven't invented the wheel, but they've come up with a decent rock debut that rolls pretty well.

And, yes they're good guys; the liner notes says: No crickets were harmed in the making of this record...

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Copyright © 1999 Håvard Oppøyen