CD Review: The Luke Mulholland Band, “Further”

It’s very rare that the first impression of an album consists of the following running script: “Wait a second… where the hell did all this soul come from?” “Man, this is what David Cook wishes he sounded like.” “Are you sure that I’m listening to the right person?” At the age of 19, Luke Mulholland is of exceptional ear-bending talent that isn’t to be determined by staring upon one creamy-complexioned, fresh-faced exterior. “Further”, his fourth CD release, pretty much serves as encouragement for listeners to refrain from judging an album simply by its jacket. Leaving flash and competition with the next best thing at the door, the Luke Mulholland Band (also known as Mulholland Drive) comes to the studio mic with a core of plain and simple talent that oddly enough couldn’t be farther away from the description if it tried.

With a musical history as early as the age of 13, garnering the attention of such greats as Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora and the late Jeff Healey, Luke Mulholland’s world-wise vocals and arranging skills are such that they are bound to result in one wondering what blues veteran died and possessed his young, willing body. “Further”‘s highlights include such tracks as “The Last Verse”: a going-off on an instrumental tangent that for all intents and purposes mourns the loss of classic rockin the way of losing a close friend and companion (rather fitting considering that Big Bad Mainstream might as well be dancing on the poor girl’s grave); “Cold Night”: seamlessly switching tempos from blues-y toe-tapper to a two-quarter time interlude; and “Go”: far from being the red-headed stepchild as the album’s sole lyric-less track, allowing enough platform for Mulholland’s guitar to wail in harmony as much as its electric owner, if not more. Consisting of eight case-sensitive episodic tracks, “Further” is molded from all-too-familiar core qualities (friendship, love, and/or the lack thereof), and is coupled with enough metaphors and similes makes it effortless for listeners to relate to.

Simply put, if you can envision the audible possibility of a more soul-infused Huey Lewis circa 1985, whose overproduction and domineering horn section is substituted with equal parts Ray Charles and Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers, then you’ve got the Luke Mulholland Band – and hopefully, you’ve got their latest work in tow.

Photo via LukeMulholland.com