One Canadian band that I just can’t stop listening to at the moment is Canada’s The Commoners, a band that manages to create more than memorable Blues based, sweet soulful music so beautiful you’d swear they were the love child of The Allmans and The Black Crowes.
After a glorious 2022 release ‘Find a Better Way’ they are back with a highly anticipated third album, ‘Restless’ that might just even edge it. Opening with teh wonderful ‘Devil Teasin’ Me’ I’m immediately in my happy space, washed over with a sweet Southern groove, lilting guitars, beautiful backing vocals, and in frontman Chris Medhurst, a voice to remember.
“As with our previous album, we wanted to marry old and new southern rock together in a way that was unique to the band’s Canadian roots,” says the Commoners guitarist and producer Ross Hayes Citrullo. “By adding the soul and rock elements of The Black Crowes, and the southern blues rock undertones of The Allman Brothers to a production style akin to Blackberry Smoke and Rival Sons, I think we developed an authentic sound that compares sonically to some of our favourite records across all of those music genres.”
And he’s not wrong, at times I thought I was listening to The Black Crowes circa ‘Southern Harmony’, and that is about the biggest compliment I can give. That and the fact that there are ten tracks here that maintain the quality of that opener till the very end.
‘Shake You Off’ is another up-tempo winner that rides another great groove with an Allman’s-like lick and a Crowes- like groove. I was there back in 1990 and 1992 to see the early Black Crowes and to capture that feel, this could be as close as I’ve heard in decades. The slightly slower strut of ‘The Way I Am’ just underlines that feeling.
But can they handle a slower tempo? Well listen to title track ‘Restless’ and you have your answer. It’s a powerful song and leans more towards bands like Blackberry Smoke with a little Country flavour in the veins. ‘Gone Without Warning’ that follows is one of my favourites, it plugs in hits the riff and runs away with you, turning into a barroom boogie with teeth before cutting the swagger with reflection.
‘Who Are You (Ain’t Knocked Down)’ is just as impressive, built on a simple riff and swelling organ its those country notes that add texture. The chorus is a glorious sing along that should have you all aboard.
But there’s a few twists in the final numbers. ‘Body And Soul’ sees the band at their moodiest and most experimental. It’s a damn fine number that you can hear the anguish, the star though is the guitar that underpins it all and the vocals just seek to underline the sheer presence of the track.
And we end as we began with some damn fine music. ‘See You Again’ adds a wonderful acoustic interlude that is a sheer heartstring tugger! It’s nostalgia, it’s connection with place and time, it’s that song that we all feel but can’t put into words. I love it. Whilst on the other hand ‘Too Soon To Know You’ to me is just perfect, a song you can lose yourself in and all that I love about the genre. This will be on my playlists for years.
The final word goes to ‘All That We Have ‘ which is simply stunning. Stripped bare it is probably the perfect way to leave us. It’s a song of hope, and a thing of beauty. What more do you need. I’m blown away – ten songs and all of them way more than memorable is a real feat these days…
Released by Gypsy Soul Records on 21st June 2024, you have to give this one a spin. If you love your Rock with plenty of Southern-style and swagger with wonderful melodies, sublime lead vocals and soothing backing… add burning guitars and killer slide, plus spot on Hammond and a bass and drum team to lead it home: then this is a must. I’ve not been so excited since I head fellow countrymen The Trews, and was fortunate enough to catch them Downunder and hang for a while with Colin. I sure hope these guys head this way soon.
If you loved 2022’s ‘Find A Better Way’, then ‘Restless’ has the sound of a band who knows to build on what most bands would settle for as a lofty peak. There’s real fire in the faster numbers and a real tip of the hat at the Crowes in their early career pomp. There’s anthems, there’s head down rockers and there’s moments to bring you to tears. This has something for everyone. Toronto has new kings.
9/10
Website: https://thecommoners.ca/
Tracks:
01. Devil Teasin’ Me (4.25)
02. Shake You Off (4.00)
03. The Way I Am (3.42)
04. Restless (5.17)
05. Gone Without Warning (7.07)
06. Who Are You (Ain’t Knocked Down) (4.15)
07. Body And Soul (5.34)
08. See You Again (4.42)
09. Too Soon To Know You (5.11)
10. All That We Have (3.20)
The Band:
Chris Medhurst – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Ross Hayes Citrullo – Lead Guitar
Ben Spiller – Bass, Vocals, Piano (Who Are You, Gone Without Warning)
Adam Cannon – Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Miles Evans-Branagh – Organ, Rhodes, Piano (See You Again, Restless, Too Soon To Know You)
Chantal Williams, Nicki Lawrence, Sandra Bouza – Backing Vocals