Sons Of Liberty – Aged In Oak

If I had to describe Sons of Liberty as a drink they would defiantly be a bottle of Jack Daniels or Jim Beam. From the outset their new EP Aged in Oak oozes out heavy country infused riffs straight from the planes of Texas. The first track “If it ain’t Southern” lets you know exactly what these guys love and what to expect from them at every turn. The use of a harmonica fits in perfectly with their sound and sent me looking for some cowboy boots and a six shooter!

The second offering “Dammed if you Do” is a little gem of a track that could have easily been penned by Angus and Co. While frontman Rob Cooksley isn’t as screamtastic as Brian his vocals hit the perfect pitch, I’m Dammed if I don’t love this track.

As I said before this is Bourbon music and Sons of Liberty next hammer this point home with “Dixie Whiskey” I’m already heading for the ice tray and unscrewing the bottle top. Cheers!

“My Sister” seems to be a heartfelt penned song which starts out with some nice slide guitar. For me though this was the first misstep in what has been so far a great album. The track struggles to limp along and Rob’s vocals felt out of place. I think live this may work better as a slower song giving everyone time to refill their glasses.

Sons of Liberty’s unapologetic stance continues on with “That’s Who I Am” my feet are a tapping and I’m looking for line dancing classes to sign up to. I’m probably going to be walking round for the rest of the day singing “that’s who I am”. That’s how catchy this song is.

The final number “Moving On” lyrically follows the old troupe of heading down the tracks straight out of the Bon Jovi song book. That’s no bad thing though, as it allows you to fully appreciate the guitars and drums. The use of a double base peddle or a very fast right foot are a joy to behold and the multiple guitar solos bring to mind some maiden’esque riffs.

The true wonder of this Band and EP though are that, for all the American styling which they carry off with such panache, they actually originate from South Wales and Bristol. Now where’s my cowboy hat I need to go do some rustling.

1 – If it ain’t southern   2 – Dammed if you do   3 – My Sister   4 – That’s Who I Am   5 – Moving On

Line up –   Rob Cooksley, Fred Hale, Andy Muse, Mark Thomas, Steve Byrne

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