Transgression

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: “Transgression” (Lodge Records)

HAILING FROM the Portlaoise/ Mountmellick region of the wild mid-west, this country rock outfit play in a style reminiscent of early Eagles and other seventies West-Coast bands like Poco, with a bit of Smokey thrown in for good measure. The playing is assured, the sound is confident and solid – if hardly groundbreakingly original and they come across as a sort of an updated rural version of Dublin pub-rock legends, Stepaside.

Their ace card is unquestionably the authentic-sounding raspy vocals of singer Mick Rogers, whose delivery on the more upbeat tracks like ‘Straight From The Heart’, ‘Look Into Your Eyes’ and ‘Better Off Dead’, demonstrates just why the band have earned a loyal local following as well as picking up a respectable amount of airplay.

But much of the material on Transgression is sounds unoriginal; the chorus on the opening cut and debut single ‘Passing Time’ bears a striking resemblance to the Eagles’ ‘Already Gone’ and ‘Twice As Much Love’ sounds like a Bryan Adams out-take. Strength In Numbers would seem to flourish on the more subdued numbers; songs like ‘Better Late Than Never’, a tuneful ballad which would doubtless find favour with US radio programmers and ‘Lost And Found’ a subtler, more acoustic-based song with an inspired melody and well constructed harmonies.

Transgression is an adequate debut and probably of sufficient calibre to maintain local interest but Strength In Numbers would need to forge a more distinctive musical identity, if they plan to make any progress in the international arena.

• Colm O’Hare