Big Head Todd & the Monsters - Black Beehive - Music & Performance - CD

Stronger and more committed to their craft than ever, Big Head Todd & the Monsters release their 2014 album, BLACK BEEHIVE, a quarter-century after their debut, ANOTHER MAYBERRY. Produced and mixed by Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist Steve Jordan, BLACK BEEHIVE is a strong collection of songs that marries the bands trademark Blues-Rock sound with a great awareness of current events. For example, title track, 'Black Beehive,' which refers to the late British Soul singer Amy Winehouse, was written following her untimely death, while 'We Won't Go Back,' is about the 2010 Arab Spring uprisings.

Big Head Todd & the Monsters spent much of the early years of the new millennium emphasizing their blues roots, going so far as to spearhead a centennial celebration of Robert Johnson in 2011, so the expansive nature of 2014's Black Beehive comes as something of a welcome surprise. BHTM haven't left the blues behind, of course -- there are funky slide guitar workouts like "Seven State Lines," along with a salute to the great Howlin' Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin -- but they've internalized the blues, letting it infuse songs that otherwise read as pop or lending a bit of grit to performances that otherwise favor comfort. This dexterity (demonstrated, as it should, through throwaway grooves and succinct solos), when combined with a production that boasts considerable color even during the record's quietest moments, gives Black Beehive a surprising resonance; unlike some BHTM records, this feels lived-in, which in itself is a reflection of how the band's sojourn into the blues has paid off dividends. They've returned to some of the easy, breezy melodic songwriting that gave them AAA hits in the '90s, but that tunefulness is given a backbone by the band's willingness to delve into the blues, and the production -- alternating between spare sweetness and sharply detailed, sculpted six-strings -- gives the album dimension (and Todd's decision to occasionally co-opt Dylan's phrasing, unmistakable on "Josephina" and "Travelin' Light," adds another dimension to this roots rock fantasia). Big Head Todd & the Monsters will never be a gutbucket, down-and-dirty blues-rock outfit, but Black Beehive proves that's fine: they have found their own friendly spin on the blues and have become a better band for it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

Performer	Big Head Todd & the Monsters
Music genre	Alternative
Music subgenre	CD - ALTERNATIVE ROCK
Music release type	Release
Media format	CD
Original release date	2014
Edition	Standard
Language	English
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Series title	Big Head Todd & the Monsters - Black Beehive [COMPACT DISCS]
Track listing	Hey Delila, Everything About You, Seven State Lines, Josephina, Black Beehive, We Won't Go Back, Fear Greed and Ignorance, Hubert's Dream, I Get Smooth, Travelin' Light, Forever Bonnie
Record label	Shout Factory
Songwriter	Big Head Todd & The Monsters
Music producer	Steve Jordan
Track name	Black Beehive
Duration	45 min
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N