Dynamic Indiana trio The Cold Stares release Voices – a diverse collection of top-quality blues.

Release date: 10th March 2023

Label:  Mascot Label Group

Format: CD / vinyl / digital

 The Cold Stares have never been afraid to draw on desperate times for their inspiration. Guitarist Chris Tapp says: “A lot of these tunes deal with really personal things that have been on my mind for a while…… I just had to live enough life and get enough experience under my belt to know how to talk about them, to know how to feel comfortable opening up those veins and sharing whatever came out.”

“The chains were off when we made this record,” he continues. “Suddenly, all the parameters that had dictated what we could and couldn’t do just disappeared and we were free to create whatever sound we wanted.”

Originally a two-piece band of guitarist, vocalist Chris Tapp and drummer Brian Mullins they have now enlisted bassist  Bryce Kuleh giving their sound some precision.The band brazenly admits that amongst their major influences are the likes of Floyd, Cream, and Zeppelin but in ‘the voice’ I distinctly hear on this robust and strapping feast of rock is Free, particularly in the title track Voices, Come For Me and the celebratory The Joy, which also shows a more subtle approach. 

Nothing But The Blues cracks off at apace to set the tone for this exhilarating music but there’s still room for the vibrant bass licks. After that, you would be excused for thinking you would have a grim, miserable downhearted album, yet the music expresses strongly the liberation from the restricted lifestyle we have all had to endure,

The music is fierce but with tender emotion, too especially in Sorry I Was Late which has a distinct early part of Stairway To Heaven feel and Thinking About Leaving Again shows how adept they are at changing the pace without forfeiting the power vibe. The same applies to the wistful The Ghost which brings the album to a classy conclusion.

Fervent and rowdy it may be at times but there are facets of all styles of blues music that rocks hard supported brilliantly by Mark Needham’s polished production allowing for diversity of sounds. A fantastic follow-up to the wonderful Heavy Shoes.

Here’s Come For Me from the album:

The Cold Stares online: Website / Facebook / Instagram

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