Chrome Plated Apostles - 12 Bars(Demonbeach DEM 015)

On the stomping opener we go down to the basement. Hunter Landen reveals an excellent voice, taking a lower register at times to good effect on this, to compliment his bullet mike harp attack. Clif Mann's cascading glass finger guitar and the atomic Adams/Perry bottom gives you beer swilling, chest pounding, technologically, politically and artistically aware, steamroller blues.

The second selection, Blues, follows the same path. Chrome represents the apostles’ metal side, I guess, and it’s another hob-nail boot stomp. CPA marches through a spoon full of your precious love in a way that Willie Dixon would have understood perfectly, and approved of, if he had lived to hear it. This stuff will shake the cobwebs from the corners of the amusement hall.

Downtown is a chugging monster beat with an Ooo Ooo background vocal hook that really sells it. Honky Tonk Hell is basically two minutes of slashing and burning. You should be thinking broadswords and brimstone, not whittling by the campfire. Island is equally intense. Karma Train brings Jeffery Lee Pierce's Gun Club to mind. A great way to close this collection of one dozen deep-fried nuggets.

These are some of the highlights from a set list that is pretty consistent throughout. A howling blues wail. No holds barred. 12 Bars is what you would get if you showed up at one of the twelve local bars CPA might be playing. The only thing this CD lacks from the live show is the chance of getting hit by a flying bright yellow maraca or taking a PBR bath. Other than that, it’s all here. It’s even got rims.