For the BellRays, the title of their latest album, Have A Little Faith, is a command, an ultimatum even. "We need more fearlessness!" firebrand singer Lisa Kekaula declared when the Southern California quartet appeared in front of the Washington Monument alongside acts like Thievery Corporation for the Operation Ceasefire concert. On this album, The BellRays lead by example, barreling through an impassioned, genre-bashing 13-song set of "maximum rock and soul," as they, in no uncertain terms, describe their sound.
In another era, the BellRays would be blasting out of car radios. Nowadays, they're jump-starting car commercials, where cutting-edge bands seem to be getting more airplay than on your local FM station. For many listeners, their first exposure to the BellRays came from the Nissan Xterra commercial that featured the audacious vocals and killer guitar riffs of "Revolution Get Down", from the foursome's previous release, The Red White and Black.
It's fitting somehow that the group has been linked to the auto industry because their sound is often compared to the hard-edged, defiant, rock-meets-r&b sound of late sixties/early seventies Detroit and specifically to Motor City artists like the MCs and the Stooges (though Kekaula is way more Aretha than Iggy). The BellRays do reference Detroit, but more philosophically than geographically. They evoke a time when rock and roll was as much catalyst as soundtrack.
Have a Little Faith perfectly captures the band's singular sound, which combines two seemingly disparate forms of American music: the raw power of garage rock and the emotional drama of soul. "Imagine Tina Turner fronting the Stooges," goes one common description of the band.
Selections:
1. Tell The Tie
2. Time Is Gone
3. Chainsong
• I've Been Searchin'
4. Pay The Cobra
5. Snotgun
6. Have A Little Faith In Me
7. Change The World
8. Detroit Breakdown
• horn interlude
9. Lost Disciples
10. Everyday I Think Of You
11. Maniac Blues
12. Third Time's The Charm
13. Beginning From The End
In another era, the BellRays would be blasting out of car radios. Nowadays, they're jump-starting car commercials, where cutting-edge bands seem to be getting more airplay than on your local FM station. For many listeners, their first exposure to the BellRays came from the Nissan Xterra commercial that featured the audacious vocals and killer guitar riffs of "Revolution Get Down", from the foursome's previous release, The Red White and Black.
It's fitting somehow that the group has been linked to the auto industry because their sound is often compared to the hard-edged, defiant, rock-meets-r&b sound of late sixties/early seventies Detroit and specifically to Motor City artists like the MCs and the Stooges (though Kekaula is way more Aretha than Iggy). The BellRays do reference Detroit, but more philosophically than geographically. They evoke a time when rock and roll was as much catalyst as soundtrack.
Have a Little Faith perfectly captures the band's singular sound, which combines two seemingly disparate forms of American music: the raw power of garage rock and the emotional drama of soul. "Imagine Tina Turner fronting the Stooges," goes one common description of the band.
Selections:
1. Tell The Tie
2. Time Is Gone
3. Chainsong
• I've Been Searchin'
4. Pay The Cobra
5. Snotgun
6. Have A Little Faith In Me
7. Change The World
8. Detroit Breakdown
• horn interlude
9. Lost Disciples
10. Everyday I Think Of You
11. Maniac Blues
12. Third Time's The Charm
13. Beginning From The End
