Saskatoon based rock trio The Sheepdogs have released their fourth, self-titled album produced in Nashville by The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney.
The band gained worldwide attention after becoming the first unsigned artists to grace the cover of Rolling Stone magazine and since then have gathered momentum, winning awards and playing major festivals.
Their latest offering has been hastily recorded over two and a half weeks, resulting in a more experimental sound.
It includes a good mix of slower and heavier tracks and there are some real gems like “Javelina!” with its laid back funk intro and screechy guitar, “Is Your Dream Worth Dying For?” with its catchy rhythm and sweet vocal harmonies; not forgetting the boogie-rock attitude of “How Late, How Long”, taken from EP Five Easy Pieces.
The band recently toured with John Fogerty, which is a great fit, given their sound is reminiscent of artists such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and Little River Band. There is a wealth of solid edgy riffs, psychedelic effects, resonating vocals and skilled fretwork in what they’ve produced.
However, save for a few stand out tracks, overall the record feels a little bit middle of the road and lacks the growl of some of its predecessors.
A lot of thought has been put into commercial viability and this album will definitely do well in introducing the band’s sound the the world.
