Musikansich – Germany
Esquela is a root rock band from Bovina, Delaware County, New York. She was founded in 2010 by John "Chico" Finn and Keith Christopher. Both have been on their fifth album since 2010, A Sign from God, still on board. An important musician of the band is also the producer Eric Ambel.
In the inner part of the CD packaging, Finn explains how it came to the emergence of this plate. In the course of the current pandemic, he was reinforced again for his home recording studio and brought it into progress. After some frustrating weeks of crafting, he had finally made it and asked his friend Eric "Roscoe" Ambel for help. When he wanted to tackle the first song on 15.May 2020, the electricity fell off, and in the dark, he was patient until the electricity was back - and the first title was recorded.
And gradually, the efforts grew up to the full plate - and - as Finn writes - Esquela Has Recorded Its Best Album to Date. A true 'sign from god'. Whether it has become the best album of the band, I can not be subject to a subjective to judge. However, I can find that these song rises of ten titles has become very good! With the tautly rocking "not in my backyard" the plate starts. The two voices of Becca Frame and John "Chico" Finn with alternating leadgesang and simultaneous vocals, complement each other well and the band rocks this song really intensively and this sluggish groove can put in the spell. The guitars go full to works and thus this prelude can be seen.
Musically, you can do what the musicians offer is quite into the seventies, but the recording technology can be assigned the current time. Textally one seems to be accepted by one or the other "hot iron", equal to "Oradura" treats the massacre of Oradour on June 10, 1944, a war crimes committed by the Waffen-SS at the population of the French village Oradour-sur-Glane, in which it was only six-sized survivors.
Stylistically, this tight skirt runs through the whole plate and gives the music a very lively expression. Anyone who knows closer to the name of the musician Eric "Roscoe" Ambel also known by his cooperation with the Roots rock band The Del Lords. Traces of that band with their always fresh-cheeky sound can be heard with one or the other song, for example at "The Good One (Give UPS)".
Sometimes the sound of song changes to song, sometimes it will be a little quieter, sometimes a lane is added groove, but ultimately the music lives from such rockers like "What's your problem" or "Two Stones". Nevertheless - that's probably quiet piece, finally, "Wait for me", the musicians are also good to face. However, both, BECCA and John, as lead singer / in not necessarily very expressive in some songs, here is then more the strong individuality in the foreground.