Review: Broken Witt Rebels-'Georgia Pine'

Britain used to be a healthy breeding ground for incredible Blues & Soul vocalists but now the very shores that produced the likes of Joe Cocker , Paul Rodgers , Steve Marriott and Frankie Miller have thrust modern day pap such as Sam Smith and James Bay upon us. Phil Campbell from The Temperance Movement is bucking the trend with some genuine, no­filter, heartfelt vocals and thankfully Danny Core from Broken Witt Rebels has now arrived to lend a hand in fending off the nightmare of Sam Smith et al.

With a mature and polished sound that belittles their age and relative inexperience, the four piece from Birmingham have created songs with a widespread appeal that crosses many genres and will surely strike a chord with anyone that hankers after something a bit more honest and hype free.Comparisons could be made to peers such as Alabama Shakes,Black Keys,early Kings Of Leon and in some instances Rival Sons,but don’t tangle yourself up with such trivial matters and instead simply enjoy the music on offer and remember that Broken Witt Rebels are British not American.

“Low” opens the EP off with a wink to the classic intro to Radar Love from Golden Earring before settling down to a slow burning and gritty few minutes of guitar driven Rock,Blues & Soul all wrapped up with an infectious chorus. Core’s incredible voice is front and centre but never sounds forced and the modern day affliction of “over­singing” is never present.”Suzie” has a real lazy swing to it that reminds me of renowned American Roots Rock originators The Band. Classy and retro but yet fresh, modern and relevant today, the song features a gorgeous guitar solo from James Tranter which will have the purists drooling.

“Georgia Pine” is the closest that the band come to Kings Of Leon, with Core channeling his inner Caleb Followill; comparisons are fine when at least you’re being compared to someone that can actually fucking sing. A very modern sounding Rock song that would sound great on Radio One if they could just get over James Bay and Jack Garratt.

It’s pleasing to hear the rhythm team of bassist Luke Davis and drummer James Dudley keeping it simple and fuss free which in doing so allows Core to shine on “Getaway Man”.I believe the phrase normally associated with such a vocal performance is “soul drenched”? ”Guns”closes the EP off with perhaps the most commercial of the five tracks featured. Some delicious guitar work with a chorus that simply soars and deserves heavy rotation on mainstream radio.The song is massive and catchy enough to still be rattling around in the memory banks some time after.

In all, this is a highly recommended offering from a young British band that shows great promise for the future. You can pre­order it from their website and the band will kick off a short headlining tour of the UK in April before heading out as support to American superstar Brantley Gilbert on his rearranged UK tour in May.