Calling your album, Sparks Are Going to Fly may be a bit presumptuous, but in the case of MHB’s debut effort, it’s a warning. Sparks do indeed fly throughout this entire album as a result of the combined efforts of this fantastic band. Though vocalist/guitarist/song-writer, Matthew Henry Baron is the band’s namesake, everyone in the band contributes such great performances, and it’s hard to imagine this album being as strong without any of them. Working with Baron are bassist James T. Bromley, drummers Michael Whalen and Rob Van Dahl, Eric Koppa and Steve Kelly on horns, and Daryl Coutts on keyboards/organ. The rhythm section is spectacular, with Whalen and Van Dahl really pushing the songs forward and Bromley is something remarkable in his own right. The bass lines that Bromley plays have elements of funk and rock blended together so well that it would function as decent percussion if there weren’t any drums. Though the horn section and keyboards aren’t as much the backbone of the band’s sound, they’re the flourish to the signature and establish the fantastic sound of MHB.
If you get the feeling you’ve heard MHB before, but can’t quite put your finger on it, it’s because you have heard them before in some way, shape, or form. There’s little elements that pop up from so many different bands, Los Lobos, Rusted Root, Robert Cray, Huey Lewis, Van Halen…the list goes on. At times, Baron’s voice sounds snarling and unrestrained like on “Someone Like You” where he channels David Lee Roth. Baron’s electrifying lead guitar is played fantastically and his solos are equally breathtaking. The album’s rousing closing track, “Here You Go” sounds reminiscent of Robert Cray combined with bass work ripped from a Red Hot Chili Pepper’s album. Coutts is the other factor that changes the sound up quite a bit; the keyboard and organ fills are like that of Sean Hopper from Huey Lewis & The News in terms of their tone and atmosphere.
Lyrically, Baron’s constructed some fantastically smooth songs with bite and wit. In “I Better” he rips through the line, “baby see, what’s been going on/I got the eyes of the devil, the wits of James Bond“. Most of the lyrics fly by at a rapidity that is similar in delivery to Red Hot Chili Peppers. As the words fly by, the subjects they cover aren’t deep, or intensely insightful, but they are well suited for the music that supports them, and now and again a particular nice line will pop up like on “Here You Go” or most of “Blanket Of Leather”.
One of the most unexpected elements here is the degree of musical layering that Baron is able to his songs. “Into The Light” is an intensely driving song that builds on itself the further along it goes. The build, which climaxes in the horn section joining in with female backing vocals, is reminiscent of the Talking Heads song “The Great Curve”. Even though the production is completely different, the way “Into The Light” culminates is similarly spectacular and results in an extremely satisfying listen.
Sparks Are Going to Fly’s track list even sounds like a live set in some respects. The album begins with a three shot salvo of “Someone Like You”, “I Better”, and “Get On”, slows down a bit with “Blanket Of Leather” and then builds to its middle and closes just as strongly as it opens. It’s quite clear that Baron is leading a band that knows its way around the recording studio, and the live stage. To make a debut album this strong is borderline staggering. The sheer amount of energy could make it enjoyable on that alone, but these guys are on fire for every track.
MHB’s first outing into albums is a spectacular one. There are few albums that don’t need much of a recommendation besides simply, “Get it”, and this is one of them. Even without really crossing genres, Sparks Are Going to Fly sounds like it does and takes it a step further by fully convincing the listener that this album is every genre for nearly every listener. The only problem they face is trying to follow this up with something that sets the bar equally as high as it is now.
Review by Heath Andrews
