STYLE: Rock RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 125841-19148 LABEL: Independent FORMAT: Digital Only Album
Reviewed by Elliot Rose
Since 2009, after the break up of his band, Minnesota-based Kevin Gullickson has been trying to establish his own unique sound, experimenting with electronic stylings and an array of guitar effects on independent releases in between travelling across Europe and North America. As his alter-ego Radio Drive, he has released this, his fourth album. On some tracks I detect a certain David Bowie influence. Produced by Gene Paul (son of guitar legend Les Paul), the mash of synthesiser, drums and bass kicks in strongly on the opener "Rising" while Kevin shows off his blues guitar riffing skills on "Borders". The weakest element is Kevin's vocals, which seldom get past adequate. But I was impressed with the memorable melodies and interesting lyrical ideas shown (especially in the aforementioned "Borders" plus "Two Simple Words"), supported by a blend of unusual instrumentation. An intriguing collection if nothing else though ironically, considering Kevin's chosen artist name, this is unlikely to get much radio play.
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