Parker Barrow – Hold The Mash EP
Parker Barrow, the Nashville based, southern-hued rock 'n' roll band, have timed the release of new EP Hold The Mash extremely well, dovetailing as it does with their special guest support to Canadian rock & psychedelic retro rollers The Damn Truth’s Winter UK Tour.
The quintet of EP tracks also show, as did 2023's highly impacting debut album Jukebox Gypsies, that Parker Barrow have the songwriting strength to go with their big, bold sound.
Said sound is led by the sass-fuelled voice of Megan Kane and powered by Kane’s drummer husband Dylan Turner; the core of the band is completed by guitarist (and musical director) Alex Bender, who joined full-time in 2023.
Kane, Turner & Bender are to the fore on raunchy rawk and roll opener 'Make It,' a big-beat (actually, make that huge beat) number that sports thick and rugged guitars, a wicked little solo, and serious four-string punch from bassist Bo Howard.
'Glass Eyes Cryin’,' which opens like it might just slip into the classic Joe Cocker version of 'With a Little Help From My Friends,' soon reshapes itself into a swaggering, southern bluesy mid-tempo that’s given a fuller-bodied sound from keys player Eric Safka.
"I’m walking out your door, can’t change my mind, oh my I’m so tired of your glass eyes cryin'!" sings Megan Kane with impassioned purpose.
There’s also plenty of swagger on the brooding and pulsating heavy soul of 'Novocaine,' which carries a decidedly 70s vibe. "Cause my whistle won’t blow, my rooster won’t crow, I’ve been locked by your chains!" cries Megan Kane, with a vocal holler and conviction Janis Joplin would have been vocally proud of.
The acoustic intro to downtempo love song 'Olivia Lane' slowly but assuredly builds from call and answer acoustic guitars and Megan Kane’s soul-crying vocal ("I need your love like the air that I breath") to a full band finish that’s kept relatively understated, making it even more impacting.
Final track and latest single, 'The Healer,' is a pseudo funky, soul-swaggering number that adds yet another texture to the Parker Barrow sound, here with the added bonus of a couple of groovy little organ solos from Eric Safka. A true highlight.
On the strength of Jukebox Gypsies, and the quality of songs on Hold The Mash (which only heightens anticipation for a second, full-length album) Parker Barrow may grow to be, much like The Damn Truth, a female fronted, rock and roll force to be reckoned with.
Actually, they already are; as will be proved when they hit the road with The Damn Truth, the best rock and roll pairing you’ll see and hear this year.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
The quintet of EP tracks also show, as did 2023's highly impacting debut album Jukebox Gypsies, that Parker Barrow have the songwriting strength to go with their big, bold sound.
Said sound is led by the sass-fuelled voice of Megan Kane and powered by Kane’s drummer husband Dylan Turner; the core of the band is completed by guitarist (and musical director) Alex Bender, who joined full-time in 2023.
Kane, Turner & Bender are to the fore on raunchy rawk and roll opener 'Make It,' a big-beat (actually, make that huge beat) number that sports thick and rugged guitars, a wicked little solo, and serious four-string punch from bassist Bo Howard.
'Glass Eyes Cryin’,' which opens like it might just slip into the classic Joe Cocker version of 'With a Little Help From My Friends,' soon reshapes itself into a swaggering, southern bluesy mid-tempo that’s given a fuller-bodied sound from keys player Eric Safka.
"I’m walking out your door, can’t change my mind, oh my I’m so tired of your glass eyes cryin'!" sings Megan Kane with impassioned purpose.
There’s also plenty of swagger on the brooding and pulsating heavy soul of 'Novocaine,' which carries a decidedly 70s vibe. "Cause my whistle won’t blow, my rooster won’t crow, I’ve been locked by your chains!" cries Megan Kane, with a vocal holler and conviction Janis Joplin would have been vocally proud of.
The acoustic intro to downtempo love song 'Olivia Lane' slowly but assuredly builds from call and answer acoustic guitars and Megan Kane’s soul-crying vocal ("I need your love like the air that I breath") to a full band finish that’s kept relatively understated, making it even more impacting.
Final track and latest single, 'The Healer,' is a pseudo funky, soul-swaggering number that adds yet another texture to the Parker Barrow sound, here with the added bonus of a couple of groovy little organ solos from Eric Safka. A true highlight.
On the strength of Jukebox Gypsies, and the quality of songs on Hold The Mash (which only heightens anticipation for a second, full-length album) Parker Barrow may grow to be, much like The Damn Truth, a female fronted, rock and roll force to be reckoned with.
Actually, they already are; as will be proved when they hit the road with The Damn Truth, the best rock and roll pairing you’ll see and hear this year.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
