Detroit Cobras "Tied And True" 2007***

I recently wrote about the different things one can do on Halloween, but I failed to mention one of the best options: go to a rock'n'roll concert, which is what I did this year. The Detroit Cobras were playing in Paard van Troje, just a few tram stops away. The support band was ideal for the occasion: The HelloWeeners are a Dutch garage/trash/rockabilly side project of various Eindhoven bands making infrequent appearances on Halloween or horror-themed festivals. They warmed up the audience (featuring a few dressed-up Halloween celebrants among the usual rock T-shirt wearing concertgoers) for The Cobras who went onstage around 21:30 for a show that lasted around an hour. Singer Rachel Nagy, obviously intoxicated, must have been especially happy with her Jack The Ripper disguise, jabbering about killing prostitutes and brandishing knives around. Thankfully, other than Rachel's drunken babble, the Cobras were just as good as the last time I saw them a dozen years ago: a tight band playing their familiar energetic brand of garage soul for an all-around fun Halloween evening!

This album, recorded in 2007, is the band's latest. Am I the only one who thinks there is something wrong with this picture? We're talking about a band which has remained active and yet hasn't released a new album for 12 years. 12 years, that's more than the combined lifespan of The Doors and Creedence Clearwater Revival! It took those bands less than 6 years each to record 13 studio albums and to write more than a 100 classic original compositions! And it's not just The Cobras who aren't making records, the same goes for many other bands - though probably no-one beats The Sisters of Mercy who are about to close 3 decades with no new recordings. Is it a case of "there's no money in making records, so we'd better get the show on the road to pay the bills"? Are the artists punishing us for illegally downloading their music or listening to it on youtube instead of buying their records? Are we to blame for this situation, or is our favorite musicians' inspiration drying up as they grow older? Just a thought... Back to our review, Tied And True is, like all of Detroit Cobras (DC) records before it, a covers album - mostly of 50's/60's unknown R&B songs. But it's also a concept album of sorts, delving into the dark side of love and relationships - at least that's how I interpret the choice of material, title and cover. Musically, the balance of the songs has also shifted: less garage soul dynamites, more ballads and girl-group pop. The latter style is dominant on the album's first half, opening with Betty Lavette's "You'll Never Change" followed by pop ballads like "Try Love", "Only to Other People", and Irma Thomas' "The Hurt's All Gone". Rachel is convincing at the slower songs, her weathered voice giving an impression of a woman who's been around, hurt and recovered again and again. Gino Washington's "Puppet on a String" is the sexiest of the slow numbers thanks to Rachel's delivery and surf guitar solo. Halfway through the album starts to pick up pace with soul belters like "As Long As I Have You" and "(I Wanna Know) What's Going On". James Brown's "If You Don't Think" is suitably sped-up, as is the country-ish "On A Monday" and "Leave My Kitten Alone" which was, I believe, the only one of these songs that they played at the Halloween concert - the meowing backing vocals were a source of hilarity, as was the drummer's kitty mask. "Nothing But A Heartache" retains something of its girl-group origins in the backing vocals but just loud enough to make the difference between retro pop and garage rock. The DC's knack for always picking the right song falters here on two occasions: The Melodians' "It's My Delight" sounds wrong when stripped of its reggae beat, and the Equals' "Green Light" sounds like a second-rate Spencer Davis Group copy - not much they can do with that material. Overall it seems that, rather than the soundtrack to a wild rock'n'roll party, The DC had set a different goal for this collection: they set out to make a more mature soul-pop-retro album, and that's what they deliver. In my opinion, though, this album may be a good showcase for Rachel's voice but doesn't play to the rest of the band's strengths, especially the energy and excitement which is evident in both the band's live shows and the DC other albums. I'd like to see them return to the sound of Baby or Life, Love and Leaving - if and when they enter a recording studio again. Which I hope they will do, soon. Come on guys, it's not as if you need to write new songs. Just delve into your old 7' singles collection and come up with an unknown gem or two!

**** for You'll Never Change (Betty Lavett), Puppet on a String (Gino Washington), As Long As I Have You (Garnett Mimms), Nothing But a Heartache (Flirtations), Leave My Kitten Alone (Little Willie John), [I Wanna Know] What's Going On (Art Neville)

*** for Try Love (Dori Grayson), The Hurt's All Gone (Irma Thomas), Only to Other People (The Cookies), If You Don't Think (Tammy Terrell), On a Monday (Lead Belly)

** for It's My Delight (The Melodians), Green Light (The Equals)
P.S. the running order I described corresponds to the European edition on Rough Trade, the U.S. one is different