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Tom Killner

Hard Road

Review by Gary Hill

This is an album by a blues guitar player who has been building quite a reputation for himself. The disc features, as you might guess, a number of bluesy guitar based pieces. It’s quite strong and has a decent range. It does have a tendency to get just a little samey, though. It should be mentioned, too, that it definitely earns some parental advisories for some of the lyrics.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2016  Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Comin’ Home

This hard rocking bluesy cut really makes me think of The Allman Brothers quite a bit. It’s a great way to start the set in style.

Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
A bit slower and harder edged, this is another classy blues rocker. It reminds me a bit of Eric Clapton, but also of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Feeling Good
A fairly slow blues rocker, this has a lot of style and charm. It’s a classy cut for sure.
Fake It
Here we get more of a faithful old school electric blues number. The backing vocals really add a lot to this.
Cocaine Blues
This stripped back guitar blues cut is very classy. It’s slow and packed with emotion and cool.
Hard Road
Another that’s fairly stripped back, this is more of a classic blues rock styled cut. The guitar is particularly tasty on this, and the song is one of the coolest here.
Lifting Me Higher
There are no big changes here. Instead, this is another classic sounding blues rocker.
Whisky Haze
This is much more of a traditional blues tune. It reminds me of Buddy Guy in a lot of ways.
Do It Again
Parts of this feel to me like what you might get if you merged AC/DC with some faithful blues. It’s another smoking hot blues rocker however you slice it, though.
Taking Its Toll
As this comes in, it really feels like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” to me. This is very much a Southern rock tune as far as I’m concerned. This cut tends to overstay its welcome a bit.
Midnight Call
This is another powered up blues rocker. It’s good, but the formula is wearing a bit thin by this point.

 

  
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