Rock/Roadhouse
As one might expect from a band named after the drummer for The Rolling Stones, Watts is all about rock and roll – pure and simple. “On The Dial” features 12 new cuts from this New England band, whose music brings the bar to you in case you can’t get to the bar. A bit of roadhouse, smattering of blues, and plenty of tight crunchy guitar is “watt” you get.
Watts is: Dan Kopko (vocals/guitar), John Blout (guitar/vocals), Craig LaPointe (bass/vocals), and John Lynch (drums/vocals). The guys have produced a remarkably cohesive album, and even though they switch lead vocalists on some tracks, their tones are so similar that a causal listener would mistake it for the same guy throughout. What sort of tone are we talking about here? Think Faces-era Rod Stewart combined with Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom) and a touch of Josh Todd (Buchcherry). The smoky rasp in the vocals is very fitting to the music. With an album this consistent, some might complain that the lack of dynamics make the songs sound too much alike one another, but you just can’t go wrong with memorable cuts like the ripping title track, the smoldering “Chaperone”, and the Social Distortion styled romp of “She Wants To Rock”.
Fat free rock and roll that shakes the paint off the barroom walls…thankfully someone out there is still doing it, and doing it well. They’ve got the rock swagger down, and should now focus on crafting a catchier hook in each song.
iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 5, 7
Watts on MySpace. Facebook.
Listen to “On The Dial”
