The Bridge: The Bridge

By: Bill Clifford

Originally independently released by The Bridge in March of 2007, this eponymous full-length studio recording has received national distribution through a re-release by Hyena Records. The band’s third album, it goes a long way towards capturing the true sound and direct influences of this quintet, bettering the previous two CDs, a live recording and a hodgepodge of studio and live cuts. Guitarist-singer Cris Jacobs‘ vocals are very eerily reminiscent of Little Feat‘s Lowell George. The band furthers that influence by blending a diverse range of styles and genres – smooth rhythm & blues on opener “Get Back Up,” New Orleans boogie on “Angelina” and “Easy Jane,” Southern Blues on “Country Mile” and old school funk on “Shake ‘Em Down.” Founding member Kenny Liner has used vocal percussion, or what’s more commonly known as beatboxing, in performance to differentiate The Bridge from other improvisational bands. However, in the studio, set against the good time southern rock, “The Ballad Of Clear Rock” sounds out of place and gimmicky. Still, The Bridge spans the gap between the classic rock of Little Feat and The Grateful Dead and modern southern soul and funk.

JamBase | Mid-Atlantic
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