THE COAL MEN – Escalator

Dave Coleman and his band’s fifth album is a hodge podge of stripped-down rock and roll that ricochets around a pinball machine of pop punk, bluesy stomp and straight-ahead classic rock. “Last Goodbye” and the title cut take their cue from the late 70s groove of Elvis Costello and Graham Parker while “Stuck” and “Better Than” trample afoot with more than a passing nod to Cream and Zep. There’s some bashing and banging about in the spirit of Waits and Lanois (“Sanity”) that adds some charm. [Coleman is a] “fiercely talented guitarist.”

BY: MICHAEL VERITY  http://www.blurtonline.com