Lumbee wasn't, as the opening song on
Overdose suggests, tone deaf, but their music wasn't particularly tuneful either, meaning there isn't really anything on this straight CD reissue that you can live without. Even hardcore fans of '70s
hard rock will find the songwriting largely undistinguished and the recording surprisingly lacking in excitement. The band seems unable to muster up a high level of energy, and as a result, the songs have a tendency to sink into plodding,
Southern blues-by-the-numbers
rock. Despite the dynamic multicultural makeup of the band, the music doesn't manage any sort of unique angle or edge, which is a genuine disappointment. The album does have its merits.
Lumbee erupts into a sizzling but far-too-brief
jazzy break toward the end of
"People Get Ready," which segues directly into
"You Gotta Be Stoned," a lumbering but tripped-out psychedelic jam. The single,
"Streets of Gold," has an inviting, back-to-the-country gait, and
Carol Fitzgerald Lowery's
hard rock hollering on the strong
blues "Whole World Is Down on Me" recalls
Janis Joplin, although it can also descend into affectation at times. Each of the other songs has some truly nice bits of interplay and stretches where the band hits upon nice grooves that make you wonder how impressively this music might have come off in a ballroom or club setting. But at only about 33 minutes, it still manages to feel like a bit of an overdose, which certainly isn't the highest recommendation possible. ~ Stanton Swihart
