Dr2 View "Taddy Porter" by Taddy Porter

For all the Rock-n-Roll purists out there who feel that music today has lost it’s roots, that today’s young bands don’t know or respect the music that came before them, well, we have some good news, Taddy Porter will restore your faith.  This band from the heartland of Oklahoma has done it right with their newest, self-titled, 12-track, bombshell. Right from the start, the first tune, “Whatever Haunts You”, has a sound that immediately distinguishes itself by it’s rock authenticity, with Andy Brewer’s vocal’s reminiscent of The Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson at his best, while you have to love the greasy, downright nasty, licks laid down by Joe Selby on guitar. Lynyrd Skynyrd would be proud. The Crowes comparison is reinforced by the next track as Brewer launches into “Big Enough” solo, ala Hard To Handle.  Tracks that stand out as the disc progresses are “Long Slow Drag”, a piano-driven ballad that we think has that unique, and rare, quality for a slow song, of being commercially marketable, and “King Louie”, a sort of White Stripes meets Led Zeppelin rocker. We don’t mean to beat the comparisons into the ground, but we mean it in the most complimentary way.  Listening to this disc, if you are a true, dyed-in-the-wool, rock fan, you can’t help but hear echoes of the past.  There is no doubt that Brewer’s soulful, all-in, emotive, vocals drive this four-piece. In combination with Joe Selby’s incredible fretwork (I can’t put my finger on why, but I keep thinking of Trower when I listen to him play) and put them in front of the Jones brother’s solid backbeat and you have something special and unique in today’s market. This music is not the flavor-of-the-day that is so prevalent on today’s airwaves. These guys are fresh and young, but grounded in that oh-so-cool, blues-rock genre that is timeless.  Taddy Porter could take their place as the next link in the chain that stretches back past the Crowes, to Zeppelin, the Stones, Joe Cocker, and even, dare-we-say; The Beatles (just listen to “Long Slow Drag” and tell me you don’t hear echoes of Paul and John).  Their manager, rock veteran, and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan-based, Rick Smith thinks this is no exaggeration, as he says;

“This band is going to be the biggest one in my 35 years of doing this. This is truly something special. This is Paul Rodgers 1969, if Free came from Stillwater, Okla., or if Joe Cocker had a baby with Robert Plant, it would be Andy Brewer. All the successful great rock bands of the last 30 years have had that dual focus — whether it’s starting with Jagger and Richards, or Lennon and McCartney or Tyler and Perry or Axl and Slash. You have to have the two front guys in Andy and Joe. Joe will be one of the quintessential guitar players of his generation. This is a band that only comes around like once in a generation. They’re that special.”

Big words, but there is something magnetic about these guys onstage, and some industry heavyweights have come down on their side as well.  Slash hand-picked them to play in support for his recent tour with Myles Kennedy, who, when Alter Bridge was planning their next road trip, demanded that he would not sign on for the tour unless Taddy Porter would join them. All-in-all we at DR2 are impressed and intend to keep an eye on these guys and suggest you do the same.  You can find out more about the band’s upcoming tour and music here and as always you can find out about any breaking music, news, and reviews here at www.detroitrockreview.com .  Until next time, Keep Rockin’!