“West Coast Highway Cosmic” è il nuovo album del combo australiano dedito al rock blues psichedelico.
La band è guidata dal leggendario chitarrista e cantante Dom Mariani (già con The Stems, DM3, The Someloves). Sulla scia del loro acclamato terzo album, “Blessed is the Boogie”, i Datura4 ci guidano lungo un’autostrada per un altro viaggio sonico attraverso boogie infuocati, hard blues polverosi e paesaggi sonori di rock & roll visionario.
Pubblicato da Alive Records, West Coast Highway Cosmic (un nome che è un programma d’intenti) vede aggiungersi allo storico nucleo formato nel 2009 da Dom Mariani (chitarra e voce già presente nella Hall of Fame degli Australian Music Industry Awards), Warren Hall (batteria), Stu Loasby (basso) due nuovi membri, Bob Patient alle tastiere e Howie Smallman all’armonica.
Come sempre, in attesa che la stampa specializzata italiana esca dal prolungato sonno post-lockdown, vediamo come è stato accolto il disco in giro per il mondo:
Datura4 certainly wears their debt to John Lee Hooker and other boogie masters proudly on its sleeve. But tracks such as ‘Not For Me’ and ‘Cat on a Roof’ are more expansive and compositionally ambitious, while the acoustic-flavored ‘City of Lights’ hews toward some of Mariani’s power-pop background. – BILLBOARD
A solid set of bluesy, ‘70s-steeped hard-rock with wailing psych guitars, muscular rhythms and head-banging song hooks. – Don Yates, KEXP
[4/5 stars!] Datura4’s latest goes right for the jugular, putting Mariani’s formidable six-string chops up front of a set of songs that could have come from 1974. Yet Mariani is no macho c*ck-rock shouter – no matter what backdrop he stands in front of, he’ll always have that slightful soulful, melodic power pop voice, backed here, as everywhere, with creamy vocal harmonies. – BLURT
A seamless blend of sounds. Datura4 effortlessly blends elements of fuzzy rock, psychedelia, and blues into a sound that is a dream for fans who grew up with the guitar-heavy rock of the ’70s. Wherever you play this, be sure to turn up the volume as loud as you can stand it. – GLIDE MAGAZINE
[4/5 stars!] Garagey but not grungey, power-poppy but not cheesy, muddy but not sludgy, blues-respecting but not formulaic, trippy but not spacey, Datura4 is carving out their own niche. – GET READY TO ROCK
If you pine for a plate of Humble Pie seasoned with a little early Bad Company, this will leave you wholly satisfied. – THE VINYL DISTRICT
Datura4 has a firm grasp on garage psych and progressive blues rock. – CLASSIC ROCK
[10/10] This band reignites the rock-blues vibe that summons long-haired rock-rolling Lazarus back from the grave. – SOUNDBLAB
Builds in true ’70s psych-rock form, swirling from guitar-led turmoil to shoegaze clearings of reflection. – ROLLING STONE AU
Tags such as retro or contemporary are rendered meaningless when you crank up the volume of your stereo and tune in to the tunes, and nuanced songwriting. For those who like their rock heavy and deep grooved. – HARMONIC DISTORTION
Blessed is the Boogie is ten tracks of pure vintage goodness, a hard-driving rock and roll album with its blues roots proudly on display. – CHATTANOOGA PULSE
Rather than taking the easy route and diving heads down into barre chord oblivion, Mariani, along with drummer Warren Hall, bassist Stu Loasby and keyboardist Bob Patient, deliver a variety of tones and timbres. – The WINNIPEG FREE PRESS