The Sheepdogs - The Sheepdogs' Big Stand

By: Gareth Meade

The Sheepdogs
The Sheepdogs' Big Stand

()

SOUNDS LIKE: A solid if not perfect classic rock album. Rating: 3/5

The Sheepdogs trade in rock ‘n' roll. Not the fast and furious Chuck Berry or Buddy Holly form, but the long-haired, flared jeans and lengthy guitar solos take on the genre; the likes of which Led Zepplin, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pink Floyd mastered and subsequently destroyed from the '70s onwards.

Luckily The Sheepdogs stick to their guns, consistently plundering classic riff after classic drum fill, remaining close to the likes of Crazy Horse—a good thing for a classic rock band to do. But that consistency may also be their downfall, as the 12 tracks on the Saskatoon band's new album get too samey too early.

It's not until a solid, if not perfect, take on Motown towards the end of the album called "Black and Tan" that things get changed up at all. But there's plenty of fun to be had along the way in the form of "Garbageman", complete with "Devil Woman" swagger, and "The Sea", which could be mistaken for Pink Floyd's "Breathe", before finding its footing back in familiar territory. 

Video: "Black and Tan" by The Sheepdogs

^{Posted: March 16, 2010}