Not yet familiar with Tedo Stone? I can't fault you. A month ago I had never heard of Mr. Stone either. But when I received Good Go Bad from the lovely folks at Atlanta's This is American Music, I paid attention. And while the national music press hasn't been rushing out with reviews, I think they are missing the boat here. After listening, I happily resigned myself to rearranging my publication schedule to make room for it. There is genuine talent here, and this would be a good time to catch the Tedo wave.
So what is compelling about Good Go Bad? On major positive is the vocals. Tedo is blessed with a soulful, high-timbre croon that is captivating and warm. The band, Stone -- Clay Houle, Frank Keith IV, and Grafton Tanner -- can buzz, riff and chunk like a mix of '70s rock and classic southern rock, but they dial it down adeptly for slow tempo numbers, relying on restrained arrangements and Stone's voice. In fact, despite some writers emphasizing the '70s rock influence, to my ears the entirety of Good Go Bad has more of a soulful storytelling vibe than a hard hitting rock album (although I'm left with no doubt that this band can shake the walls of a live venue). Overall, there is a plenitude of diversity on display, and this group is consistently impressive at any volume or speed.
The album begins with "Big As The Ocean", featuring a percussion introduction and then layering in the vocals and guitars. It is an assured beginning, and displays the band's talent to rock. The proceedings dial back for the title track, which wears its southern influence on its sleeve --
The third track, "Taste" showcases much of what is so great about this album. It has the swagger of T. Rex, melodic guitar riffs and some psychedelic swirl--
The next few songs showcase the restrained soulful storytelling. I think the best of them is "Back Again", which is presented here in a video of a live acoustic performance.
One of my favorite tracks is "High", which relies on excellent vocal supported by an intriguing drum beat and an organ --
The album ends well, with three strong tracks -- "Time", "War" and "Downtown"
Good Go Bad is out today on This Is American Music.
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