Dogs aren't blue! Blue Dogs don't break new ground, but is fun to listen to
By Andy Chriss Entertainment Staff
++: If you're into country-rock, Blue Dogs' self-titled album on Black River Records might be for you.
The Blue Dogs from Charleston, SC, are the latest in a long line of lesser-known bands that have made a splash because of extensive touring. Since the summer of 1996, they have been averaging 15 shows a month. They play the type of music that you just can't help but tap your foot to. The "alterna-country" that such bands as Wilco and Son Volt made popular is the Blue Dogs' specialty. They mix the acoustic music that makes everybody feel good with some bluegrass roots and some poppy hooks.
The band is led by childhood buds Bobby Houck, the singer/guitarist, and bassist/vocalist Hank Futch. The two have been making music together since 1988. They have since added drummer Greg Walker, guitarist Jason Hawthorne, and percussionist Jesse Thrower to complete the lineup.
The first thing you have to ask yourself before listening to this record is whether you really like the kind of music that the Blue Dogs play. If you do, you can probably really get into the record and listen to it repeatedly. However, if you find that this kind of music really doesn't appeal to you, you see the Blue Dogs as nothing more than a band that sounds like everybody else in the "alterna-country" scene.
Three words come to mind when Houck sings the first words to the first song on the album, "Walter;" John Cougar Mellencamp. Yes, the man that brought you "Pink Houses" and "Rockin' in the USA" makes a guest appearance on this album, in the person of Bobby Houck. Houck's voice is so reminiscent of Mellencamp's that at times, it's very hard to determine who you're actually listening to. It leaves one to think that the Blue Dogs are gonna rip into "Small Town" while they're at it.
Blue Dogs does have some bright spots, though. "Long, Gone Goodbye" will have you swaying back and forth to the music. "Walter" has a catchy chorus that can be easily memorized. The final song, "You're Not Alone," finishes off the album leaves you in one of those good mellow moods.
However, the album breaks no new ground in the "alterna-country" scene. Just about every song sounds the same. This article mentions it a lot, but Houck's voice is just too, too much like Mellencamp for you to even think that this album is anything original. One could consider it to be one of those B-side releases.
The Blue Dogs have two upcoming dates at clubs in Atlanta. You can see them at the Chameleon Club on October 24 and at the Cotton Club on November 29.
