Big Head Todd & the Monsters spent much of the early years of the new millennium emphasizing their blues roots, going so far as to spearhead a centennial celebration of
Robert Johnson in 2011, so the expansive nature of 2014's
Black Beehive comes as something of a welcome surprise.
BHTM haven't left the blues behind, of course -- there are funky slide guitar workouts like "Seven State Lines," along with a salute to the great
Howlin' Wolf guitarist
Hubert Sumlin -- but they've internalized the blues, letting it infuse songs that otherwise read as pop or lending a bit of grit to performances that otherwise favor comfort. This dexterity (demonstrated, as it should, through throwaway grooves and succinct solos), when combined with a production that boasts considerable color even during the record's quietest moments, gives
Black Beehive a surprising resonance; unlike some
BHTM records, this feels lived-in, which in itself is a reflection of how the band's sojourn into the blues has paid off dividends. They've returned to some of the easy, breezy melodic songwriting that gave them AAA hits in the '90s, but that tunefulness is given a backbone by the band's willingness to delve into the blues, and the production -- alternating between spare sweetness and sharply detailed, sculpted six-strings -- gives the album dimension (and
Todd's decision to occasionally co-opt
Dylan's phrasing, unmistakable on "Josephina" and "Travelin' Light," adds another dimension to this roots rock fantasia).
Big Head Todd & the Monsters will never be a gutbucket, down-and-dirty blues-rock outfit, but
Black Beehive proves that's fine: they have found their own friendly spin on the blues and have become a better band for it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
