Good Morning!
Today we’re listening to “Chance Encounters” by Blues Lawyer
The title of Blues Lawyer’s latest record might be All In Good Time, but listeners don’t have to wait long for the infectious harmony and fuzzy guitars that the band’s known for.
The band was originally a side project for guitarist/frontman Rob I. Miller and drummer Elyse Schrock. It’s evolved into a full-time band (and quartet). That’s made for a much fuller sound than on their previous two releases, with the hallmark melodies front and center. It manages to be a little more raucous and polished all at once.
It’s easy to sail full steam ahead into an iceberg of reductive writing when describing a band like this— “Indie” and “jangly” make for easy copy. But Blues Lawyer really does evoke a very specific vein of 90s pop.
If you’re of a, ahem, “certain age” it won’t be a stretch to imagine Evan Dando singing the first line we hear, “I wanna stop talking about the way things used to be,” instead of Miller. This also pairs well with bands like Gin Blossoms and even Velocity Girl.
The band separates themselves from the pack in the harmony between Miller and Schrock’s voices. Together, they make a sugary pop sound that’s incredibly upbeat, even when singing about bittersweet subjects.
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The intent to rock is immediately signaled in the opening triple salvo of Chance Encounters, Salary, and Return Policy. Here, new bombast is offered in the form of Mo Troper style fuzz-meets crunch juxtaposed with an ever-present sense of melody that fights the perfect fight in order to be heard through the modern power-pop mayhem.
Click here to read the rest of the review.
Listen:
“Chance Encounters” by Blues Lawyer | All In Good Time, 2023
Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this track!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
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This is a killer line: "It’s easy to sail full steam ahead into an iceberg of reductive writing when describing a band like this— “Indie” and “jangly” make for easy copy."
Nice bit of craftsmanship!
Hearing about this band from a few sources - and they sound good! That name, though...I guess it's so bad it's good?