Having morphed from art-damaged experimentalists to bare-knuckle rockers in recent times, Royal Trux would seem to have emptied their bag of tricks. But the cunning combo pulls more than its share of fast ones on this fully exhilarating tour de force. As on their more recent releases, the Trux borrow a fair amount from the
Stones/
Free axis -- notably Neil Hagerty's guitar playing on the Eastern-tinged "Call Out the Lions" and the distorted shuffle "Platinum Tips." There's more to POUND FOR POUND, however, than mere Keef worship. The smoldering-'n'-slinky groove of "Fire Hill" is redolent of
T. Rex at that band's finest, in both the glam-tastic beat and Jennifer Herrema's alluringly raspy vocal, while the riveting call-and-response of "Deep Country Sorcerer" suggests an unholy but perfect union of '70s pop and Delta blues. There's plenty of darkness at the edges of POUND FOR POUND, but for the first time, Royal Trux have made an album that could just as easily be played when you're cruising, top down, to wherever that blue highway takes you.
