MORE ABOUT CANDACE BROOKS BAND
Nominated "Best Female Vocalist" 2007 by Motif Magazine.
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Candace Brooks, Allan Furtardo, Neal Chistolini, Brian Decoteaux
Four musicians. Four varieties of influences. One unique sound.
Motif Magazine"Life After Me" EP review
"There are some bands who employ every recording trick at their disposal to cover up for a lack of heart, soul, and spirit. And you know something..... IT NEVER SEEMS TO WORK! If anything, the sonic over-adornment only serves to accentuate an absence of substance. Nobody ever says "You know what makes that song great? The Gate Compressor Limiter they used!" Now listen up youngsters, it's time for Uncle Don's Rock & RoD Life Lesson 34. Ready? Let's begin. If you don't have substantial lyrics and a memorable melody, buying a 64-channel digital soundboard isn't gonna help. Did you write that down Kenny?
And that is why I have a great deal of respect for The Candace Brooks Band and their latest CD release "Life After Me". They use few bells & whistles, and even fewer prefabricated engineering chicanery. Some might even describe the overall vibe of the record as minimalist. Me, I describe it as pure, honest rock & roll. This youthful quartet is comprised of Allen Furtado (bass), Neal Christolini (guitar), Brian Deconteaux (drums), and the evocative, dread-locked Candace Brooks herself on lead vocals and guitars. Clearly, they have a collective musical understanding, and this vision is laid out quite effectively throughout the album's eight tracks.
From the first notes pouring out of the speakers, Candace and company spread out their unique blueprint for stripped-down rock with the kickoff track "Out of Your Mind". "I got your heart tied up, I got your soul locked down - Am I breaking your stride, as I spin you around — Are you out of your mind yet? ". As with many of the songs herein, Ms. Brooks' vocal delivery provides context for the lyrics that would otherwise be lost had someone else been singing. Her timbre is contradictory in many ways - sweet yet dirty - soft yet aggressive -immaculate yet lustful.
She's also easy on the eyes. But back to the music.
More contradictions are evident throughout another song "Jaded". "Why you gotta be so complicated? Why you gotta be so J@ing jaded? Why you gotta be so beautiful? " Yes, we all know by know how much I dig when chicks swear in song. That aside, Brook's vocal elocution takes a good song, and makes it much, much better.
I'm particularly fond of their use of a live track "Strategy". The song itself is not the strongest offering in the set. In fact, sound-wise the recording doesn't sit well while surrounded by the other studio tracks. But the charming aspect of its inclusion is that The Candace Brooks Band once again doesn't rely on tired worn-out concepts of what belongs and doesn't belong. One gets the feeling the band had something to say and chose that particular song to say it. Isn't that what rock & roll was supposed to be about in the first place?
The Candace Brooks Band is pure, unadulterated rock. Some classify them as alternative. If by alternative they mean in opposition to cliche, over-the-top, predictable, guitar-driven, hormone angst pabulum., then yes, firmly place them in the alternative category. Me, I describe it as pure, honest rock & roll."-Motif Magazine.
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