I think it is fair to say that we have all been through the wringer the past few years and whilst 2022 can on the surface look better than the previous years, really it’s a shit show and a prelude to 2023. On that heartwarming note, what you do need in your life to remind you why we tolerate the lunacy around us is a feel-good album to take your mind off it all, The Commoners ‘Find A Better Way’ is that album.
The album’s opener and title track set the tone, those gnarly Plexi break-ups, and overdriven tones just cut like a knife and right there, right then you know this is going to be one bitchin’ ride! By the end of that opening track, you’re like “Gimme More” and ‘Fill My Cup’ does exactly that, sultry harmonies and wailing vocals of Chris Medhurst just grip you, pulling you in one delicious line after another. It’s been a while since my head had been immediately turned by the opening tracks of a band I had not heard before, but The Commoners aren’t just any band, the Toronto natives have been grafting over the last decade honing their sound and their craft and have constructed an album well worthy of your attention let alone your hard-earned cash.
They have an old-school vibe about them, old souls no doubt wrapped up in a contemporary package, with a flavor like their heroes in Free, Bad Company, The Black Crowes, and the like with a sound so wholesome you’ll think it came from grandma’s kitchen. The guitar work is sublime, gnarly, and captivating but Medhurst’s vocals shine track after track against the solid backline, the delicious vocal harmonies that envelope the tracks from time to time just make you want to get up and shake your ass like it’s 1999 all over again.
A killer album from start to finish, The Commoners have delivered a real beauty dripping in quality, rich in its roots/rock heritage in a visceral form they have absolutely nailed it.
The album is released on CD, limited edition vinyl and digital by Gypsy Soul Records on Friday 4th November and is available to pre-order from thecommoners.ca, and pre-save from https://lnk.to/TheCommonersFABW.
FIND A BETTER WAY – TRACK LIST
1 – FIND A BETTER WAY (4:36)
2 – FILL MY CUP (4:22)
3 – MORE THAN MISTAKES (2:56)
4 – TOO MUCH (3:57)
5 – NATURLLY (4:30)
6 – I WON’T (4:15)
7 – DEADLINES (3:46)
8 – HANGIN’ ON AGAIN (7:06)
9 – ALIVE (4:52)
The Band
Chris Medhurst – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Ross Hayes Citrullo – Lead Guitar
Ben Spiller – Bass, Vocals, Piano (5, 9)
Adam Cannon – Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Miles Evans-Branagh – Organ, Rhodes, Piano | Jeff Heisholt – Organ (1)
Michael Ekhart – Pedal Steel (6, 9) | Ben Healey – Lead Guitar (7)
Chantal Williams, Shezelle Weekes, Tash Lorayne – Backing Vocals
2022 TOUR DATES
04/11/22 Castellon-Spain @ Sala Because
05/11/22 Orihuela-Spain @ La Gramola
06/11/22 Valladollid-Spain @ Puerta Caeli
07/11/22 Leon-Spain @ Babylon
08/11/22 Ourense-Spain @ Cafe Auriense
10/11/22 A Coruna-Spain @ Sala Mardi Gras
11/11/22 Cangas-Spain @ Salason
12/11/22 Valles-Spain @ Bocanegra
13/11/22 Vitoria-Spain @ Urban Rock
15/11/22 Chambery-France @ Brin de Zinc
16/11/22 Besançon-France @ Bar De L’U
17/11/22 Metz-France TBC
18/11/22 Krefeld-Germany @ Kulturrampe
19/11/22 Ostend-Belgium TBC
www.thecommoners.ca | @thecommonersto
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