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Fools Parade
Blind Otis And The Lost Highway
Freedom Machine / Surf Records, 1996
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 02/13/1998
Blind Otis And The Lost Highway are a group which I find hard to
categorize. Sounding like a cross between Lee Michaels, John
Mellencamp and Bob Seger, their style of music is a mixture of
roots rock, moody pop and a touch of the blues.
Sound like an interesting combination? Their second album,
Fools Parade, shows that this type of a mixture can indeed
work - but it is a bit spotty.
Otis is a passable singer and guitarist, though he seems more
comfortable playing rhythm guitar or providing rhythm leads than
whipping out a real solo. His hoarse vocal style fits many of the
numbers well, but when the mood calls for him to do some crooning,
he does this well.
The radio-friendly track on this one, "Dirt," is the one where
parallels between such artists like Mellencamp and even the Rolling
Stones can be drawn; their influences on the music are clearly
heard. Bassist Jeff Downey provides a subtle but solid backbone to
the music, while keyboardist Nick Jones and drummer Dave Hooper add
a little more texture to the mix. (I do wish that Hooper had been
brought forward a litle more in the final mix.)
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