Popular music history is long on examples of how a band’s journey mimics the personal voyages of its members. Ludlow Creek is no exception. The band began life near the middle of the preceding decade as the cover band Southbound but soon transitioned into an unit reliant on their own material. The band made a potentially fateful decision, however, on the eve of recording their second album when they rechristened themselves Ludlow Creek.
URL: https://www.ludlowcreek.com/music/
It is appropriate. The band’s eight song studio album Hands of Time would have marked a new chapter for this musical unit regardless of their name but dispensing with Southbound clears the decks of the past and broadens their horizons. No longer are they beholden to the former band’s reputation, for good or ill, its setlists, and can enjoy the benefits of pressing a figurative reset button.
You hear breezy confidence in many of the album’s songs. The energetic rush powering “Instant Replay” is never unbridled; you always get the sense of Ludlow Creek pulling back on the reins just enough to supply necessary restraint. The dueling guitars crackle without ever dominating or demanding the spotlight; guitarists Dave Benson and Allen Seals share palpable chemistry. They serve up excellent support for the songwriting; Ludlow Creek writes engaging lyrics that are never pretentious and share the same punchiness and physicality we hear in the music.
The up tempo romp of the first two tracks dissipates with the third. “When I’m With You” is a song out of time, in some ways, recalling bygone bluesy weepers rather than pushing any faux cutting edge. Fundamentals are one of Ludlow Creek’s crucial priorities and the steady elegance bringing this song to a full sparkle will be difficult to forget. “Hands of Time” expands the band’s songwriting scope without ever moving far afield of what they do best. Their self described “modern classic rock” sound incorporates a generous portion of Americana as well, but Ludlow Creek is far from purist.
It probably is not any surprise that a song entitled “Now I Can Bleed” gives Hands of Time one of its more nakedly emotional moments. The lead vocal, however, never achieves this by diving overboard with his phrasing and the backing vocals are spot on. “Picking Up the Pieces” has a much stronger acoustic presence than any of its predecessors but settles the growing languid mood of the album from its midway point onward.
ANGHAMI: https://play.anghami.com/song/1045260247
“Freedom Blues”, the finale, breaks that spell. It’s much more compositionally involved than many of the earlier songs without ever sounding unnecessarily complicated and reaches the status of a “big statement” without overreaching. Some listeners may long for more edge in the band’s music. There is some here, but Ludlow Creek doesn’t stay with it for long and their style, in the end, seems to come closer to slightly souped-up singer/songwriter rather than “modern classic rock”. No matter. It is a rewarding effort well worth your time and full of fine songwriting that holds up under repeated listens.
Chadwick Easton