The Bloody Nerve "Blue"

You may recall a couple of months ago, almost to the day, I wrote an article on a blues rock outfit by the name of The Bloody Nerve. They had released their three-track debut EP Red then and I had nothing but good things to say about it, only to find out soon afterwards that they were immediately working on a follow-up three-track EP called Blue. Of course, I had to get this EP to write up on again. Luckily for readers, I don’t have to go through the long introductory paragraph(s) this time around.

The Blue EP is very different from Red. Where Red had a roadhouse like blues rock sound to their songs like Place To Hide, Blue has much more soul to its music. The opening track, Changin’ Mind says it all; it is very piano and organ driven and it is very slow paced. I like it though, it sounds comforting, like a song you could cuddle up next to a fire to on a cold winter night. I think it’s because I first heard the song around Christmas time that I think this, but I can’t help but get that feeling while listening to Stacey Blood sing the song with Laurie Ann Layne providing such great harmonies.

The second track, Strange, is a very upbeat track, unlike any of the other tracks recorded by the band. While it is not organ driven like Changin’ Mind, the sounds of organs still chime in at perfect moments, continuing to provide that soulful vibe mixed with a sort of nitty-gritty roadhouse feeling. Then there is the final track, She; Laurie’s lone lead vocal song on the album. This album brings back the absolute soul rock and roll that was heard on Changin’ Mind. The song is just as slow paced and even more piano driven.

Blue is a great EP and almost as well written as Red. If I had to choose, I would say Red is the better of the two EPs; there are moments on this EP, most particularly on the track Strange where the delivery seems just a tad uncomfortable, but it’s the only real bad thing I can say about the band. Laurie puts forth probably her best vocals so far on She. It’s almost too bad that it’s her only lead vocal on the EP, but I do like how it evens up the lead vocals between her and Stacey; each now have sung three songs, and that’s the point of a three-track EP, it’s not meant to serve as an album where there is a beginning, middle and end, but rather just give you a taste of what the band is really about. Considering how different both the Blue and Red EPs are from each other, I don’t think it’s possible to get the perfect idea of just what The Bloody Nerve is capable of.

ALBUM HIGHLIGHT

“Changin’ Mind” –­ Just like Place to Hide on the previous EP, I found Changin’ Mind to have its chorus stuck in my head after just one listen. For a guy who knows so many songs that it gets hard to memorize even the easiest of lyrics, it says a lot that I can remember a song so well after one listen. That alone makes this highlight worthy, but it also gives listeners the perfect idea of the soulful capabilities that the band possesses.

 

FINAL RATING

8 (Out of 10)

 

Track List:

1.	Changin’ Mind	4:50
2.	Strange	3:40
3.	She	4:21