Tyler Keith and the Preacher's Kids

Tyler Keith used to be in the Ohio blues punk band the Neckbones, and Romeo Hood marks his first release as a solo artist. He's generally treading on the same balls-out, roots-rocking ground as the Oblivians and the Deadly Snakes, albeit with a hi-fi style of his own. The harmonica-fuelled shakedown "White Boy Blues Blues" is about as good as this kind of stuff gets, all upbeat with tons of breakdowns and the catchy and cryptic chorus of "...it's bringing me down, 'cus their skin ain't brown." The Gary Glitter "Rock and Roll" beat gets a healthy reworking on the title track, which is a straight ahead rocker about being a noble loser that has a heavy, definite New York Dolls feel. As matter of fact, the songs "Nature of the Beast" and "Rumble In the Jungle" also have a major New York Dolls vibe going on as well. Things aren't all party, party, party, though, and Tyler takes it down for the ballad "Youth Is Wasted On the Young," a regretful look back on his squandered, trash-filled salad years. Overall, this is an ok record, but the stiff, clean production and "not so hot" slow songs like "Lost On A Lonesome Road" take a lot of juice out of Keith's Memphis-meets-vintage Lower East Side swagger.