
The DeSotos: Cross Your Heart
By Sean McWilliams
This debut from The DeSotos is something of an aberration among current NZ releases - a waltz through Americana-tinged blues rock 'n' roll. Less bluesy than say Midge Marsden, and with an uplifting country twang and pop flourish, 'Cross Your Heart' nicely straddles the middle ground. The interweaving vocal harmonies of Paul Gurney and bass player Stuart McIntyre underpinned by a mix of Gurney's slide guitar, jazz-inflected beats from drummer Rex McLeod and the lush, swirling Hammond and Wurlitzer organ sounds of Ron Stevens provide a very distinctive palette. All very experienced musicians, these guys sound well at home in this territory. The Auckland-based four-piece cite Neil Young and Tom Petty as melodic influences, and to my ears, latter period Springsteen could be thrown into that mix as well. Album highlights include Sat On A Mountain (complete with guest harmonica from Midge Marsden), album opener '59 Cadillac, and the countrified melodics of Greedy Men. Recorded by Steve Garden this is a solid album, and if you're after something in a blues vein that runs well you could do a lot worse than picking 'Cross Your Heart' off the shelf.
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