Hell Hounds - EP

iTunes Review

It’s hard to believe that The Tall Pines hail from New York City. The front-porch strumming of guitarist Christmas Davis, the rootsy tones of an old Hammond B3 organ, and Connie Lynn Petruk’s Bobbie Gentry–inspired inflections recall a vintage Memphis sound. It doesn't hurt that Petruk shakes a tambourine and uses a drummer’s kick pedal on an empty alligator suitcase for percussion. "Always True” bounces with a tougher rockabilly groove before Davis takes the mic on “Great Grandpa,” a murder ballad combined with a narrative about unearthing the mysteries of one’s own kin. On “Spend My Life with You,” Davis’ New York style becomes more exposed. His vocals sound a bit like Lou Reed before Petruk drops in to turn the song into a playful duet, replete with harmonies recalling Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra. At one minute and 39 seconds, “You Knew It All Along” is more of a ditty than a song, but the bookending “Every Road Led Home” plays for almost four minutes.