Howlin’ Rain are a revival band of all things southern in the 1960s and 70s. From California’s hippies to the gospel, southern funk, and (professional) roots rock of Texas, Alabama, Florida, etc. They most resemble The Allman Brothers Band, but without the frenetic whiskey blues guitar duo of Dickey Betts and Duane Allman, but the attempt is influence is there.
Howlin’ Rain, Magnificent Fiend, and The Good Life revisit the southern roots rock with varying amounts of psychedelic freak-outs. Wild Life is two long aimless jams of their rock, maybe what the Allman Brothers sounded like in the early hours on some occasions.
The Russian Wilds is their least psychedelic, longest, cleanest, and least special sounding album. They play too much like a band who has been touring for decades the material of other great bands. There is no simple sounding hypnotic guitar like in famous live recordings of The Allman Brothers (In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Whipping Post, Mountain Jam) or The Grateful Dead (Dark Star, St. Stephen), just really well played boring guitar and songs that just go through the motions. “Phantom in the Valley adds a little salsa at the end; everything else is derivative that sounds like it is burning at some points but quickly fades.
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