The American quartet Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown have a new album Shake The Roots, and it is the first on their own record label Rattle Shake Records. Their first independent album, and their fifth one overall, comes two years after Pressure and was recorded at frontman Tyler Bryant’s home studio in Nashville. It is a refreshing exploration of blues and rootsy rock, with plenty of dirty grooves, classic rock riffs and southern twang. 

The deep-set groove of the lead single ‘Aint None Watered Down’, co-written by Tyler and his wife Rebecca Lovell of Loe Parkin fame, was perhaps the perfect taster of the new album, and this new element to their sound is much welcomed and feels like a natural progression from the broad palette of their previous record, adding an extra texture to their sound – giving the heftier numbers like ‘Ghost Rider’, with its fuzzy guitars, fiery solo and stomping beat, extra oomph. 

The raw, bluesy rock of ‘Bare Bones’ – with its countrified twang and clap-along chorus – opens the record with panache. The slinky, Rolling Stones like rocker ‘Roots’ shows that, like Reef on their new album Shoot Me Your Ace, whilst rock music may occasionally tip its hat to bands of yesteryear it is not derivative in any way. 

Shake the Roots has a great ebb and flow to it; the slow, ruminative number ‘Hard Learned’ is followed by the leisurely pace and dirty groove of ‘Shackles’ and then the rollicking, foot to the floor number ‘Off The Rails’. The slow burning chorus and streetwise lyrics of ‘Sell Yourself’ and the relaxed, southern drawl of ‘Tennessee’ are among the highlights of a strong second half, ans the jaunty, Lynyrd Skynyrd-esque spit and sawdust of ‘Midnight Oil’ ends a well balanced album of roots ‘n blues driven Rock in the perfect way.

Buy the album here: https://linktr.ee/tbshakedown

8 / 10

THOMAS THROWER