Music review: Bill Toms & Hard Rain – 鈥楧eep in the Shadows鈥�
The latest release by Pittsburgh鈥檚 own Bill Toms and Hard Rain is a palatable collection of rock, soul and blues sustained by raw, organic messages of survival and perseverance.
Continuing to build on the infectious arrangements showcased on 2011鈥檚 鈥淢emphis,鈥� Toms emerges from the shadows to deliver nine robust arrangements possessing an uncompromising street savvy. 鈥淚 Got No Use (For What You鈥檙e Selling Me)鈥� opens the album with smooth horns melodically playing host to Toms鈥� growling Bruce Springsteenesque vocals.
The emotion displayed on songs like 鈥淏e Careful What You Wish For,鈥� 鈥淚 Ain鈥檛 Worried鈥� and 鈥淢an Who Won the War鈥� showcases a lyrical content that is genuinely poetic and heartfelt. Toms has a crafty way of constructing songs that relate to the common man in almost a spiritual sense.
Possessing the gritty realism of John Hiatt and the soulful rock of the J. Geils Band, 鈥淒arkest Side of Town,鈥� 鈥淭he Air Feels Like Rain (Paris, 1943)鈥� and 鈥淭imes Ain鈥檛 Nothing Like They Used to Be鈥� are a full-bodied testimonial to Toms鈥� songwriting and storytelling artistry. There is a straightforward honesty in his voice that makes one experience the suffering, understand the struggle, hold dear the small victories and always remain hopeful in the promise of better things to come.
鈥淢y road is well traveled/I鈥檝e seen it all before,鈥� reflectively sings Toms, summing up the all-embracing mood of the new material.
鈥淒eep in the Shadows鈥� is a resounding triumph for this Pittsburgh music hero.
Toms and Hard Rain (featuring the Soulville Horns) will perform a CD release show at Pittsburgh鈥檚 Club Cafe on March 28.
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer. He can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard.com.