Hogjaw
Sons of the Western Skies

An evocative image of the scorching and dusty Arizona desert (the band's place of origin) introduces us to the brand-new album by Hogjaw, the third in their discography, a work that meets expectations and is a worthy successor to the excellent Ironwood from 2010.

This "Sons of the Western Skies" once again offers us the powerful and solid sound of one of the best bands in the contemporary Southern Rock scene, a band with a personal and perfectly recognizable sound capable of combining the style of Classic Southern Rock with a sharp, at times Hard/Heavy, sound with absolute credibility and effectiveness, always marked by excellent songwriting.

The start is powerful and solid with the initial quartet composed of "Spoonfed", "Hells Half Home of Mine", "Road of Fools" (with drummer Kwall on vocals) and "Six Shots", thanks to the usual sharp riffs and phrases of the two guitars supported by the powerful and pounding rhythm of bass and drums. Meanwhile, on track number 5, the very amusing "Everyone's Goin Fishin", which represents a tribute to the band's great passion for fishing, you'll find yourself almost surprised by the radical and astonishing change of style, encountering a practically funky/soul piece with Jeff "Cuz" Wilbur's sax taking center stage. In fact, it turns out to be one of the most entertaining tracks on the album, even though it is detached from the band's usual musical context and style.

After this surprise, we return to more usual and traditional territories with the beautiful "Look to the Sky", a long, melancholic, and evocative ballad with a beautiful final solo in the best Southern Rock tradition, followed by the excellent rough and gritty blues "Mainstream Trucker" (18 wheeler mix), enhanced by a wonderful and evocative harmonica.

The final trio composed of "Midnight Run to Cleator", "Dirty Woman" and the long final ballad "The Sum of all Things" brings us back to purely Southern Rock territories, always characterized by the band’s rough and sharp style, completing an album that is certainly enjoyable and interesting.

Perhaps, but these are really just details and personal feelings, more or less debatable, in terms of composition and the overall quality of the album, I find Ironwood slightly superior, but what is certain is that Hogjaw is a great band, unique and damn fun to see and listen to, and in any case, "Sons of the Western Skies" is an album absolutely not to be missed.

Hogjaw is: Jonboat Jones (Guitar-Vocals) Kreg Self (Lead Guitar) Elvis DD (Bass) Kwall (Drums)