VELVET TEXAS CANNONBALL – LAST ORDERS EP (CD)

After gaining a reputation as one of Birmingham’s finest live bands from steady gigging, Velvet Texas Cannonball have now transferred their ballsy, no nonsense swagger on to record. With a classic sound propelled by a snarling Hammond Organ and a ferocious rhythm section, VTC have roots in vintage 60s/70s Blues Rock but have a much more expansive collection of influences which take this band way beyond your average retro, “Classic Rock” influenced outfit……their new 5 track EP, Last Orders, more than demonstrates this. All the tracks have been recorded live in the studio so what you hear is as close as you can get to the Velvet Texas Cannonball live experience.    

Last Orders is an excellent EP and a snapshot of where the band are at during this moment in time. Coming from a place somewhere between Birmingham, West Midlands and Birmingham, Alabama, the Last Orders EP taps not only into the tradition of Brum having been the birthplace of some great Psychedelic/Blues Rock bands but also into the southern fried, lysergic blues of the U.S.A……..kinda like Primal Scream when they subconsciously slip back into their Stones preset when they forget they want to be a cross between CAN, Sun Ra and the MC5. Kicking off with the filthy raunch of ‘I Got Time’, VTC channel the pomp of Sticky Fingers period Stones and the infectious energy of classic early Faces with more than enough ass shaking seismic force to take down several small buildings. However there is more to this band than just Stonesy swagger, there are shades of early Deep Purple in the Hammond driven ‘The King And The Conjuror’. The track has the jazzy feel of the Brit Psych/Prog bands that Island Records used to sign around 1969, the kind stuff that now turns up on mad psychedelic obscurities compilation albums. Both ‘Country Soul’ and ‘Jenny’ have the timeless sound of the American Deep South…….The gospel tinged ‘Country Soul’ has a Memphis soul vibe while ‘Jenny’ is akin to the dark swamp blues of The Bad Seeds. The ridiculously good ‘Feel So Bad’ is a high octane epic boogie tune that Canned Heat would be proud of. There is lots to love here for both fans of 60s Psych/Blues and early 70s classic rawk, VTC are gonna be your favourite new band........ you just don’t know it yet.

Available on CD only……. contact Velvet Texas Cannonball via their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/pages/velvet-texas-cannonball/95804734453) for details about getting hold of a copy. Listen to ‘I Got Time’ here.

THEE PSYCHEDELICATESSEN