Rock and roll is alive and well and lives in Pittsburgh.
Ghost Hounds are a rock/blues/a little country act hailing from the City of Bridges, and frankly they blow the doors off with their infectious blend of genres. Their musicianship is nonpariel; I want to give specific credit to Joe Munroe, who plays some of the best blues and barrelhouse piano I’ve heard in a long time. Thomas Tull lays down some wicked guitar licks, and then there’s lead singer Tré Nation, who has an amazing set of Joe-Cocker-meets-Ronald -Isley pipes. Nation has enough grit in his voice he could sand a table, and it is his vocals that wind around and tie all the music together. His voice is, simply, stunning.
First Last Time is their fourth studio album. Production and arrangement on the songs is excellent; the various musical threads weave together effectively, never getting anything lost in the mix. I want to give especial notice to their background singer(s); I can’t find a credit for who she is, but she reminds me of Patti LaBelle after two or three shots of tequila.
In terms of tracks: “Make It Shake” is the best of a good bunch. It’s a tribute to playing your music like you mean it, and shaking your audience to its feet, and I can’t stop playing it. “Chasing You” has some amazing piano; “Last Train To Nowhere” is a haunting, dark song about having no direction; and “First Last Time” is one of those songs that anyone who considered lying to a partner should listen to repeatedly. Finally, “Hot Dog” is a wild romp that has to be heard to be believed.
Weaknesses? None, really. Oh, “Love You Too Hard” is a little cliche, and the album-ending cover of the late John Denver’s “Country Roads” is just…well…all right. But the rest of First Last Time more than makes up for it.
Find this album. Listen to it. Buy it. Save rock and roll. Me, I’m going to go find their other albums…