Double Drive went through a rough period after the release of their debut album “1000 Yard Stare” (these guys come up with the greatest album titles). It even took a change of record label before things got back on track. Boy, did things come back on track... I know a lot of bands proclaim to write plain and straight rock ‘n roll, but Double Drive is among the few that actually lives up to this claim. “Blue In The Face” is a collection of well developed rock songs without the usual similarities between songs. Although “Million” might be a little dissonant and too soft for most rockers, it is a great and compelling track. Almost every song is independently original. The weakest track on the album is probably track number seven “Track Number 7”, where simplicity leads to simple mindedness.

But luckily this track is an exception. The production by Michael Barbiero is as one would expect; where comparable albums usually silt up into a mess of instruments, Barbiero manages to create a warm and bright sound. The album ends with “Big Shove”, which was written as an electric track but ended on the album as an acoustic one. A brilliant one! The vocals are blues, the music compelling and full of emotion. Double Drive proves that, speaking with the words of Robert Venturi: ‘less is more’. “Blue In The Face” is a record that will attract the attention of a lot of people. It won’t surprise me if Double Drive makes it big. It’s only Rock ‘n Roll, but I like it!