Left Lane Cruiser

Another in the growing number of young, raw blues acts carrying the torch for the late R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, this Indiana guitar/drums duo certainly sound ready to compete with peers like the Black Keys on this full-length debut. And while it suddenly seems fashionable to crank out a few Robert Johnson slide guitar riffs alongside a meth-fuelled drummer, Left Lane Cruiser actually possess enough chops to write some memorable songs. What’s at the root of them is the unshakeable rhythm that singer/guitarist Freddy J IV and drummer Brenn "Sausage Paw” Beck create together, leaving plenty of space for Freddy to strut and holler over top. The line between hip-hop even blurs slightly on heavy stomps like "Big Momma” and "Pork ‘N Beans.” But it just goes to prove that when reduced to its basic elements, the music is all rock’n’roll. And when played with such conviction as Left Lane Cruiser displays, it doesn’t get much better.