Reviews

1   2   3   4   5   6   7   click for articles

Shoot straight from the hip Gunfighter fully loaded on rock 'n' roll     Music is subjective. One person's idea of good might not match another's. But then there are just flat-out great records like Pro-Electric.      Oh, I suppose it's possible someone might not like this disc. Someone who isn't "into" righteous guitar, maybe. Or someone who doesn't like smart, kicking percussion. Or someone who doesn't like really good rock 'n' roll - those people might not like this disc.      Otherwise, hop on board, hurry up already, get with one of the best rock records to come along in these oh-so parched times.      Gunfighter is basically an update of Molly McGuire, a '90s rock band from Kansas City, Mo., that got swept up, then spit back out, in the post-Nirvana buying spree. The band signed to Epic, who released its major-label debut in '96, a fine disc called Lime. There was a tour with Lollapalooza. And then Epic lost interest or its attention span faded or whatever, and Molly McGuire was left to flounder.     But there's a still hundreds of good tunes running around inside singer-guitarist Jason Blackmore's head. So he and the band regrouped, switching out the rhythm section, recruiting drummer David Smyth (of fellow K.C. band Season to Risk) and calling the new thing Gunfighter.      However, Pro-Electric will sound familiar to any fan of Molly McGuire. MM drummer Jason Gerken plays on the disc, since it was recorded before Mr. Smyth joined the band, and his presence is a bonus. A soulful and inventive drummer, his work is superbly showcased here.      But it's the songs - chunky and powerful, witty and concise - that make Pro-Electric soar. Mr. Blackmore is a sophisticated song-writer whose natural language is the rock song. His compositions have a sense of largesse, like the music of Queen; but he adds depth and perspective with his savvy command of rock history. He also has just a great, masculine vocal style and plays a mean guitar.     There's not a bad cut on the disc, whether it's the rock-steady throb of "The Floor," the passion of "The Least Bit" or the droll cheekiness of "What's Really In:" "Somebody's gonna find me, gonna sign me up," Mr. Blackmore sings. "I'll date a model, tall and thin/ see me depressed, on the cover of Spin."      Looking forward to it.

- Teresa Gubbins Dallas Morning News