ALBUM REVIEW: Muscle Shoals – DeWolff
Rock and soul group, DEWOLFF, are back with their tenth studio record, Muscle Shoals. The trio themselves spent the last 18 months recording the album between two recording studios that helped to create legendary rock and soul artists like ARETHA FRANKLIN and LYNYRD SKYNYRD, which means it comes as no surprise that the album itself is an ode not only to those legends, but to the other artists that inspired their love for soul back when they were kids.
More than anything, Muscle Shoals acts as a little escape and offers a positive view on life, even when one is going through hard times. As demonstrated with opening track In Love that on the surface acts as a laidback rock meets soul song, with some jazz undertones, but is an ode to cheating. Yet despite this interesting backstory, the song is perhaps not the strongest choice to open an album with in that it doesn’t immediately grab your attention.
Going into the next song, Natural Woman, there is slight concern at first in that this will be another laidback, yet uninteresting example, but things change quickly when we hear a change in composition before the chorus where we hear a low blues meets soul section. By the time we reach the third song, Out On The Town, we start to notice and appreciate the vintage elements of the record that comes from the numerous soul artists that went on to inspire DEWOLFF in a way that feels timeless. Timeless in that soul is something to be enjoyed by anyone at any stage in their life.
Unfortunately, as already mentioned, there are points where the album itself falls into a trap of being uninteresting in the way that your attention can easily drift to the point you don’t realise one song has ended and another started in how similar they sound. As heard with Snowbird, an eight-minute-long track that, while pretty sounding with a jazzy rock ‘n’ roll style, can leave you zoning out and failing to notice that Ships In The Night has now started in how rather similar it sounds.
Yet there are still stunning moments to appreciate and enjoy as heard on Fools & Horses that brings in twinkly piano and reggae undertones, something that has you reminiscing a family barbecue from childhood. There’s also tracks Let’s Stay Together and Truce that bring in orchestral elements and raw easy comparison to that of ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA.
Muscle Shoals might not be the most memorable record we’ve ever heard, but it’s certainly a pretty one to enjoy when you want something to soundtrack a quiet, lazy afternoon and for that it certainly warrants a listen.
Rating: 7/10
Muscle Shoals is out now via Mascot Records.
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