Whether it is his side project the Horrible Crowes or his band the Gaslight Anthem, it sounds like Brian Fallon. Just as the Anthem's 2010 album American Slang indicated, Fallon has a love of atmospheric folk ballads in need of being saved from his punk group. On tracks such as Sugar, I Witnessed A Crime, Cherry Blossoms and Blood Loss, Fallon aches like he's Paul Westerberg in the bloodied streets. Collaborator Ian Perkins lurks in the background on bass and slide guitars while Fallon takes centerstage. Go Tell Everybody and Crush extend the Springsteen comparisons, the former with a vamping rhythm and both with a dramatic rasp. Where the Anthem play with unerring precision, the Crowes let things boil gradually and naturally. Romeo is surely bleeding for the noir-scape of Ladykiller, where Fallon takes Greg Dulli's Twilight Singers and injects heartland rock. Go Tell Everybody breaks out the horns for a celebration of one man's hardened cynicism. I Believe Jesus Brought Us Together evokes the serious passion of Mark Lanegan's best work. - iTunes
