The Family Business: Balls Pricey Review
Balls Pricey is the fourth release from the Madison Wisconsin neo-classic rockers, The Family Business. Over the years the boys have explored different genres from straight up heavy blues riffs on their debut Nightmares and Wildest Dreams, to the more Americana, Band-esque sound from the their last record Forefathers. On Balls Pricey we find T.F.B. cranking out a mix of straight up rock and roll as well as exploring a few other related genres.
Balls Pricey opens with the hard rocking “The Problem.” The band quickly shifts gears with the R&B grooving “Make My Move” followed by the boogie rock of “You Never Know.” The entire record is a mini catalog of various feels and grooves and types of songs in the blues rock idiom. One of my favorites is the 6/8, psychedelic, Allman Brothers tinged “Blue.” This is definitely one of the album highlights. The guys seem to be stretching their muscles a bit and they do quite well no matter what style they put their hands to. Ambient production, rock and roll attitude, and their love of the blues keeps the record from sounding too eclectic. There is a definite sonic thread that The Familiy Business weaves through out the entire album. While it’s obvious that they can play anything that they want and still sound authentic, great rock and roll is still what they do best. Tracks like” Double Suite,” “Still Alive,” and “Big Red Button” is where they seem most at home.
Singer and guitarist Alex White is a natural blues rock singer with enough bite to convince the even toughest “rock is dead” critic. Lead guitarist Eric Ziegler’s tasteful solos create a powerful double guitar attack with White. T.F.B. meld rock and blues effortlessly. Both White and Ziegler benefit from the formidable rhythm section of Garrett Wartenweiler and Derek Hendrickson who keep Balls Pricey rocking hard from start to finish.
Ball Pricey, no matter what genre The Family Business is working with, has a very live feel. It’s well produced but not slick. The guitars are warm and fat. The drums are loud and the vocals are ruff and soulful. This is the way that great rock and roll and great blues should always sound.
The Review: 9/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– The Problem – Blue – Still Alive – The Double Suite
The Big Hit
– Big Red Button
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