© Bluestronomical Publishing Inc. 2007

Kris Lager Band
Roots Revival
Independent

The Kris Lager Band not only can attract fans in blues, but also pull in kids from the jam band community. The same bunch who follow the Allman Brothers and the Black Crowes.

Their 2nd CD, Roots Revival, aids their mission of coloring the landscape with their vision of American music. Lager doesn't display ego-mania with over indulgent guitar solos. Roots Revival is about a unit who can take these studio cuts and stretch them or just keep them simple.

A plethora of sounds coming from gospel, roots rock, country and blues bottles make it difficult to categorize The Kris Lager Band or put them in one place. There's the pedal steel gospel of the celebratory "I Feel Alive". The hard rockin "Turn Me Loose" with its second cousin "Since I've Been Gone" reflecting the power of Little Feat. Keyboardist Jeremiah Weir takes the ball and runs with it.

One gathers that if Lager wanted to turn these songs into 15 minute extravaganzas, he can easily do it. In mid-section, the track "Carelessly" becomes an Allmanesque jam blending good time country and manic induced psychedelia.

He can capitalize on this formula throughout the entire CD. But Lager wants to rock it out sometimes as seen on the highway drivin "80 on 80". Or slow rock his way through "Feelins Gone". Finally, "Rain Song" is a nice little break soothing its way into an uplifting "I Don't Care Anymore" bolstered by bluesy keyboard and guitar solos. The gospel revival "I Feel Alive" has Lager sounding like Derek Trucks meeting Robert Randolph. "Killin Time" coasts along on its great hooks and melodies mixing joy and good time vibes. Only in "Keep on Movin" and "When The Night Starts Falling" does Kris drift into shades of blue.

Kris Lager is a youngster whose credo is to ‘celebrate life’. Roots Revival is far removed from any political or negative commentary. Kris can be like any young kid plugging in his instrument and turning out recycled blues licks heard a thousand times over. Instead he turns out 13 tracks of music coming from the heart. Roots Revival isn't too far removed from what it seeks to do: educate fans that substance triumphs over image.

- Gary Weeks -


Southwest Blues CD Review - April 2007

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