Simon RushworthTyler Bryant & The Shakedown – Truth And Lies (Snakefarm)
Greater confidence. Greater maturity. Greater impact. But when it comes to Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown one thing never changes: the band’s ear for a stadium-ready rock and roll anthem.
Truth And Lies represents a glorious transformation, a natural transition and a telling insight into a band built for greatness. On To The Next might sum it up best of all – Bryant and his buddies don’t stand still and never have done. Don’t be surprised if, behind the scenes, work is well underway on the next chapter.
The dirty blues at the heart of laid-back Ride, Judgement Day’s grizzled outlaw country and the indie rock fury underpinning Drive Me Mad (reminiscent of early Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) proves TB&TS remain unrelenting in their ambition. Unrestricted and unleashed on Truth And Lies, this is the sound of a band that’s never been bound by convention or genre classification.
Bryant lays it all on the line on the stripped-down Shape I’m In – Bon Jovi would have broken MTV had the 80s hair metal heroes released this thought provoking ballad back in the day. And then there’s the vintage Alice Cooper-meets-Black Stone Cherry blast that is Without You. It seems nothing is beyond a band that’s been schooled by rock’s legends on stadium stages across the globe and already taken the UK festival scene by storm.
Bryant’s ability to switch from full-on rock brawler to emotive singer songwriter underlies the Shakedown’s potential. If the band’s charismatic frontman can pull off ballad Out There in front of a capacity crowd then it’s going to be a game changer: think Take That with guitars.
But those seeking to skip to Truth And Lies’ standout track head straight to Trouble. In less than three minutes a band on the brink of a major breakthrough conjures up a classic Southern rock riff, adds a soaring solo and screams peerless talent. Just perfect.
