Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown - Shake the Roots

by Kevin Wierzbicki

Bryant's latest effort begins with "Bare Bones," a fast shuffle that has one foot in Americana and the other in the Delta blues that wonders aloud what will be left of an unnamed person when their worldly goods and pursuits are gone. Tyler Brant & the Shakedown is a power trio of sorts featuring Bryant on vocals and guitar, Graham Whitford on bass and Caleb Crosby on drums. All have connections to Larkin Poe; Bryant is Rebecca Lovell's husband and has engineered some Larkin Poe recordings and Crosby and Whitford have played on them. So it's no surprise that the two bands have a lot in common with their blues rocking sounds. Along with acoustic and electric guitar, Bryant also plays Resonator guitar and it features prominently in "Ain't None Watered Down," giving the song a bucolic feel; "Ghostrider" on the other hand is a straight ahead rocker with buzzy, fuzzed-out guitar. "Roots" is Southern rock, "Shackles" is a slow burning groove with both fuzz guitar and fluid leads and "Off the Rails" is a manic rocker with an attitude to fit its title. "Tennessee" is a hillbilly rock tribute to the Volunteer State; Bryant is a native Texan but he resides in Nashville. All of the good things about Americana-tinged blues rock are here and new fans should be pleasantly surprised by Shake the Roots.

Rating: