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THE ILLUMINATI

www.theilluminati.net

On Borrowed Time

Liquor And Poker Music 2006

www.liquorandpokermusic.com

by Sully Payton

 

In the 1970's, bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, and ZZ Top defined southern rock. You

couldn't listen to rock radio without hearing "Sweet Home Alabama", "Flirtin' With Disaster" or

"Tush" at some point. Those bands were the soundtrack to beer drinkin' and hell raisin' and then

their popularity declined. Southern fried rock gave way to synth pop, hair bands and eventually

grunge, never to reclaim its rightful place on the radio again or its rightful place as true party music.

Well, the soundtrack to the next great bar brawl has arrived thanks to Canadian rockers The Illuminati.

With their new cd, On Borrowed Time (Liquor and Poker), The Illunimati head right from their hometown of Toronto straight into Gator Country (or is that "mmmmmm ....Gaaaaator Cooooounnnnntryyyyy"?). The kiddies might try and label this stoner rock, but this is a southern rock revival full of big fat blues rock guitars, pounding drums and bluesy/twangy vocals. "Black Russian Blues" sounds like one of the lost tracks from ZZ Tops Tres Hombres. "Message Home" is the best song that fellow Canadian and southern influenced rocker Pat Travers never wrote. "Lay Low" would sound great after "Flirtin' With Disaster". But its not all grits and hush puppies as the rockabilly kick of songs like "Casual Surveillance" and "Goin' Down" prove. There are no "Freebird"-ian epics on this CD, but the expansive "Sir Lord Brubeck" will take on you on a ride with the jazzy intro and middle breakdown.

On Borrowed Time is the true sound of the dirty south, the way many of us remember it. The Illuminati sound like they should be the house band for a shotgun shack bar in Alabama, filled with drunk bikers

and their women, all of them chugging Jack Daniels like its going out of style. Only in this bar, no one feels the need to yell out "Freeeeeeebiiiiirrrrddddd!!!!!". The Illuminati will make 'em forget about it.

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