THE ROBODRUM: “Big Bad Wolf” A Rich Combination Of Rock And Big-Bang Rhythms

Posted By: Rick JammPosted date: November 25, 2012in: Reviews3 Comments

Hailing from Tupelo, MS. They are NACA South members playing colleges all over the Southeast. Winners of Anthems International Music Festival in Memphis. Beale St professionals who also write music for Television and Movies. Nominated for 2012 Music Awards as “Best Indie Band” (Hollywood, CA, 2012). Their music is loud, heavy, powerful and steamy. It isn’t heavy rock. It isn’t Blues. It isn’t Funk. It isn’t R&B. It isn’t Hiphop. It is all those things put together!

The Robodrum play a thumping, clean sound accentuated by the drums, guitar and clever bass-lines of Rick Baker. The instruments combine very effectively with J Everett (Dusty) Dutschke’s brassy, blues originated voice dominating the tracks.

The drum tracks and rhythms are out of this world. Talk a huge drum sound on this album. These drums sound like they could level a building. The guitar playing by Rick Andrews and Dusty himself is classic and tasteful stuff. The two stay funky and tight, never overplaying a single note, a temptation many axe-men cannot resist. Darius (D.C.) Calvert adds the Rap ingredient into The Robodrum, and just like the guitar players, he doses his interludes to exactly the right point. Just enough to keep the sound hip.

The album, Big Bad Wolf is jam-packed with 18 superlative tracks and six special guests who include; Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam) Drums on “What If,” Annelisa Ransey, Vocals on “Feel It In The Air” and “Flood You Under,” Janet Cayson Dutschke, Vocals on “Fresh Cut,” Brook Doyle, Vocals on “What If” and “Melt With You,” Resse Senter, Vocals on “A Little Faith” and Maddi Allston, Vocals on “Bring It On” and “Cry Head.”

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Every song on “Big Bad Wolf” is packed with energy. It has some pretty heavy guitar solos and funky rhythm guitars, and an incredibly fat, wall-to-wall sounding rhythm section, that is hard to resist. “Still Breathing” pumps blood through your veins and the bluesy, swamp-like “Better Than Nothing At All” is as good a Dusty Dutsche delivery as ever. One of my all-out favorite songs this year, without a doubt.

But the list of highlights on this album are endless, as the band switch styles and influences that range from the Arabesque sounding “Flood You Under,” to the Spanish flavored acoustic guitar interludes of “Desert Heat,” or the progressive rock of “Magic Fingers.”

The Robodrum throughout this album stay consistent. Playing gritty, funky rhythms, dominated by drums that will just blow you away with sheer power. Track after track. They even tackle the Phil Collins mega hit song, “In The Air Tonite,” adding new zest and kick, without loosing the essence of the original sound.

The Robodrum is more than what I expected. They went beyond my expectations, with a rich combination of rock and big-bang rhythms for an ultra smooth fusion. There is no noise or junk here. It’s all about great style, soul and sophistication. The musicianship and production are excellent, and the songwriting is nothing short of stellar.

Finally, I have to repeat myself, but I cannot seem to stress this point enough. The sound of the drums alone, on this album, is beyond compare, and Dusty Dutsche’s distinctive vocal performance and guitar playing is impressive throughout. Not surprisingly then, my two favorite songs are “Better Than Nothing At All” and “Red Dress.”

This music makes you want to move and groove. It will put you in a great rockin’ mood.

Good music is good music. It’s as simple as that.