Reviewed by Peter John Willoughby

Harking back to the classic rock sound of the '70s and '80s comes a storming hard rock and blues sound. Thieves & Liars are from San Diego and could be described as Led Zeppelin meets Pink Floyd with some Deep Purple and Lynyrd Skynyrd influences thrown in for good measure. The band recorded most of the tracks live so as to give it a very natural and warm sound. It is an epic 71 minute opus of Joseph from the Old Testament, conveyed from the first person standpoint. By doing it this way, you feel the emotional ups and downs that Joseph experienced and how ultimately faith and hope helped him overcome the situations he faced. With Joey Bradford on lead vocals and bass, Corey Edelmann on guitar and Kyle Rose on drums they sure kick up some dust on "Betrayed By Blood" and "Road To Nowhere". "Alone" and "Forgotten" provide a thoughtful acoustic section with evocative violin, cello and a boy's choir. My favourite is "Good Times" with a choppy riff and blues licks, "The good times train is riding up to take my blues away/The steam will rise around my eyes and babe I want to say/let the good times roll/Let the good times roll right down into your soul." The album comes with a sumptuous 24 page booklet with outstanding artwork by Dave Quiggle. This is truly a hard rock classic by a very talented trio of musicians.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.