Things have picked up lately for Blacktop Mojo. The band recently launched its latest tour and its new self-titled album. Released Friday, the 12-song self-titled record is another successful offering from the independent hard rock band. According to information provided, the album is already at #5 on the iTunes Rock Albums chart and at #30 on iTunes’ Top 100 Albums Chart. No doubt the two singles that the album has already produced – ‘Tail Light’s and ‘Wicked Woman,’ which close and open the album respectively do their own part to help with that success. Those two songs are only a part of what shows the album’s strength. ‘Do It For The Money,’ one of the album’s later entries, does well in itself to support the noted statements. It will be discussed shortly. ‘Rewind,’ which comes early in the album’s run, is another example of what makes this album worth hearing. It will be examined a little later. Much the same can be said of ‘Stratus Melancholia,’ the album’s penultimate entry. It will also be examined later. Each song noted here is important in its own way to the whole of the album. When they are considered along with the rest of the album’s songs, the whole proves to be one more of this year’s top new hard rock and metal albums.
Blacktop Mojo’s new self-titled record (its fourth overall album) is another successful new offering from the independent hard rock band. That is proven in part through the late entry, ‘Do It For The Money.’ The song features a heavy, crunching guitar line and equally heavy, rich bass and drum line that is instantly comparable to some of the best works from Black Label Society. The fullness and richness in the arrangement (including the vocals) makes the arrangement so engaging and entertaining. It is just one part of what makes the song stand out. The seeming commentary about understanding what is important in life featured in the song’s lyrical content adds to the song’s impact.
The noted inferred theme is presented right from the song’s outset as James sings in the song’s lead verse and chorus, “How much for your soul?/Is it for sale to anyone?/What’s the price of being loved?/Which bank do you owe?/Is it worth its weight in/Is it worth its weight in/Is it worth its weight in gold?/Do you do it for the love/Or do you do it for the money?/The poor die young and the rich get lucky/Cash is king and you’re the jester honey/Do you do it for the love/Or do you do it for the money?” The song’s second verse continues that inferred theme as James sings, “He left you in the hole/Did you know the deal was wrong?/Did you sell it for a song?/It’s your blood on the note/Oh he cleaned you out/What will you pay with/What will you pay with/What will you pay with now?” All of this seems to really infer a discussion on the familiar topic of deciding what is really important in life, money or our pride and simply more important matters in life. The infectious nature of the song’s musical arrangement will ensure even more that audiences get that seeming message. The two elements collectively make clear why this song is such a strong addition to the album. It is just one of the many songs that make Blacktop Mojo’s new self-titled album such an impressive new offering from the band. ‘Rewind,’ one of the album’s early entries, is another example of the record’s strength.
‘Rewind,’ like ‘Do It For The Money,’ stands out in part because of its arrangement. This song’s arrangement is another work that tends to stray from Blacktop Mojo’s more familiar heavy, southern rock approach. Rather in this case, what audiences get is a song that exhibits influence from Creed and (interestingly enough) Lifehouse. The guitar-centered composition really comes across as a hybrid of songs from those two bands. That is exhibited through the harmonies that it and the bass line create. The addition of the vocals (which here really conjure thoughts of none other than Scott Stapp) adds even more to that sense. Of course the song’s musical content is just one part of what makes it stand out. The song’s lyrical content ensures its own appeal.
The lyrical content featured in this song seems to take on the all too familiar topic of a relationship matter. This is inferred through the song’s extensive lead verse and chorus, in which James sings, “Rewind/To yesterday morning when/We were fine/Before we knew the world would end/If I told you/We could go back to that moment again/Would you drop everything/Take my hand, and follow?/Would you choose yesterday or tomorrow?/Sunshine/Morning light creeping in/White Lies/I don’t know what to say again/Is illusion/Better than the promise we give/When I love you for some reason seems hollow/Would you choose yesterday or tomorrow?/Don’t speak now live in the moment babe/One wrong word and everything’s changed/The second hand could tick and we lose everything we know/Fight back tears as the tape plays/It comes unwound and goes in and out of phase/The stereo is screaming and the song don’t sound the same anymore/Rewind the track to way back before we knew the words.” The song’s second verse infers even more that the song’s theme is that of a potentially broken relationship as James sings, “Inside/I think I know the answer you’ll give/In your eyes/I can tell you’re barely holding it in/When I met you/We radiated light from within/But we chewed that up and now it’s time to swallow/Would you choose yesterday or tomorrow?” The heartfelt feeling in the song’s arrangement, while thankfully not the typical oh woe is me approach, still does well to complete the picture of this seeming theme. It adds even more to the song’s overall emotional impact. Together, the two elements show clearly why this song is another positive addition to Blacktop Mojo. It is just one more of the songs that makes the album in whole prove so enjoyable, too. ‘Stratus Melancholia,’ the album’s penultimate entry, is yet another way in which Blacktop Mojo proves its success.
Right off the bat, the musical arrangement featured in ‘Stratus Melancholia’ evokes thoughts of the grunge sounds of the 90s. Speaking more specifically, the song’s heavy, plodding arrangement likens itself to works from Soundgarden and Alice in Chains through the downtuned guitars, bass, almost mournful vocal delivery style and heavy drums. At the same time, BTM’s own familiar influence is present, too. It is just blended well with the other noted influences here to make the arrangement in whole such a unique addition to the album. That arrangement does not work alone here, either. The lyrical content that accompanies the song’s musical arrangement makes for its own interest.
The almost nihilistic approach to the song’s lyrical content adds even more to that noted grunge approach. The song opens with James singing, “Black sun burn a hole in the clouds/The world goes cold the grass turns brown/Heart turning inside out/Open up and swallow me down//Blind darkness closing in/Whisper nothings, sweet as sin/Echoes now were they a dream/In the end they don’t mean a thing/Love won’t keep you safe/Love will slip away/Love won’t keep you safe/Love will slip away.” The song’s second verse is just as brooding as it states, “All alone in my own head/Rotten smell/Is something dead?/Crawling on my hands and knees/Beg the darkness/Let me breathe.” This comes across as someone in a dark place. It is a fully relatable situation for every listener. That ability to connect with listeners lyrically as well as musically (the song’s musical arrangement does very well to enhance the mood set by the song’s lyrical theme, too) shows even more why this song stands out. The whole makes even clearer why this album is such an impressive new offering from Blacktop Mojo. When it is considered along with the other songs examined here and the rest of the album’s songs, the whole makes the album in whole a fully successful new offering from Blacktop Mojo that continues to help cement the band’s place among the current generation of young rock acts.
Blacktop Mojo’s fourth album, Blacktop Mojo, is yet another strong offering from the band. Its musical and lyrical content alike does well throughout to make it fully engaging and entertaining. Each of the songs examined here serve in their own way to support that statement. They and the rest of the album’s songs show a continued growth from the band. When they are considered along with the album’s existing singles and the rest of the album’s songs, the whole makes the album overall one more of this year’s top new hard rock and metal albums. Furthermore, it continues to cement the band’s place among the current generation of young rock and hard rock bands. Blacktop Mojo is available now.
The band is in the midst of the tour’s first leg of its tour. The band’s upcoming dates, including those for the second leg of the tour, are noted below.
BLACK TOP MOJO ON TOUR
8/15 — Joliet, IL — The Forge
8/17 — Nashville, TN — The End
8/18 — Memphis, TN — Growlers
8/20 — St. Louis, MO — Red Flag
8/21 — Hutchinson, KS — The Red Shed
8/22 — Lubbock, TX — Jakes
9/24 — Fort Worth, TX — Rail Club
9/25 — Enid, OK — Fling At The Springs
9/26 — Fort Smith, AR — Temple Live
9/30 — Biloxi, MS — The Cannery Bar & Grill
10/2 — Destin, FL — Club LA w/ Nonpoint
10/3 — Lake City, FL — Halpatter Brewing Company
10/5 — Orlando, FL — Soundbar
10/7 — Charlotte, NC — Amos
10/8 — Greensboro, NC — Blind Tiger
10/9 — Jacksonville, NC — Hooligans Music Hall
10/10 — Virginia Beach, VA — Elevation 27
10/12 — Brooklyn, NY — Kingsland
10/13 — Syracuse, NY — Lost Horizon
10/15 — Marietta, OH — Adelphia Music Hall
10/16 — Harrisburg, PA — HMAC
10/21 — Providence, RI — Alchemy
10/22 — Hampton Beach, NH — Wallys
10/23 — Hartford, CT — Webster Underground
10/24 — Albany, NY — Empire Underground
10/26 — Buffalo, NY — Mohawk Place
10/28 — Flint, MI — Machine Shop
10/29 — Indianapolis, IN — Emerson Theater
10/30 — Battle Creek, MI — Music Factory
10/31 — Ft Wayne, IN — Pieres
11/3 — West Dundee, IL — Rockhaus
11/4 — Peoria, IL — Crusens
11/5 — Wichita, KS — Temple Live
11/6 — Texarkana, AR — Crossties
More information on Blacktop Mojo’s new album and tour is available along with all of the band’s latest news at:
Website: https://www.blacktopmojo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlacktopMojo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blacktopmojo
To keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news, go online to https://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.
philspicks 