2016 – Big Toe
Productions
By Phillip Smith; July 17, 2016
Relentless,
the follow-up to the self-titled 2014 album from The Paul DesLauriers Band is a riveting electric blues album to say
the least. Singer/guitarist
extraordinaire Paul DesLauriers
takes the helm of this ship manned by a magnificent rhythm section, bassist Greg Morency and drummer Sam Harrison.
In “Stewtro Rock (Just Got
Back)”, DesLauriers breaks loose
with guitar in hand like a furious and caffeinated bat out of hell, soaring all
the way until its mind-blowing climax. The
energy stays high in “I’m Your Man”. Walking
the narrow line between blues and rockabilly, DesLauriers doles out Memphis-style riffs while Morency keeps the rhythm going with a
boogie-laced bassline. DesLauriers
gets nice and swampy with “Still Under My Skin”, while hopelessly pining over
lost love. The jam on the bridge is absolutely
amazing. DesLauriers unleashes a wondrous wall of guitar sound while Harrison dishes out a stellar and
thunderous performance on drums. I also
can’t help but gravitate towards the beautiful eight and a half minute power
ballad “If I Still Had You”. As the
tension slowly builds, I crank the volume to fully embrace the lovely intense
jam which follows.
More often than not, as the
last song on the album finishes, instead of replacing the disc with another, I’ll
just let it ride for another spin. That
must be why this album is so suitably named, Relentless.
