The British invasion is back on Taddy Porter's sophomore album, Stay Golden, which is out tomorrow.
Stay Golden builds on the southern rock feel of Taddy Porter's 2010 self-titled debut album but brings in a number of new influences from classic rock to psychedelic punk and the blues to Motown.
The album evokes the best of sixties garage rock as the Oklahoma band avoids conventions by welcoming change without straying too far from their foundation.
The band itself acknowledges it with the album title, Stay Golden, which pays a nod to S.E. Hinton's coming of age novel, The Outsiders, where the phrase "stay golden" plays a key role.
To "stay golden" is to embrace change while staying true to one's roots and Taddy Porter clearly does this on their sophomore album as they explore and experiment with new sounds.
The hard-hitting epic "Changes" kicks the album off with a fiery solo from lead guitarist, Joe Selby that has a punk tinge to it.
The album's first single, "Fever" features a mellow bluesy groove that evokes the Motown feel.
Motown is also present in album closer, "You Can Count On Me", where the guys do their best doo-wop interpretation.
Things take a rougher turn with the eerie Doors-esque "The Gun (Part 1)" and "Evil".
The wild west is evoked on "The Gun (Part 1)", which tells the story of a hitman on the verge of vengeance, "I'm gonna sing my favorite song and the devil's gonna sing along. Under the peppermint sky, you're still gonna die. Let it begin, let it begin, let it begin."
The hard-hitting, "Evil", tells the more universal story of being cheated on for the first time, "That girl is evil!"
The up-tempo ballad, "Emma Lee", contrasts with the dreamy "We Can Do Anything".
Then there is the danceable rock of "Walk Away" which features one infectious melody after another layered upon one another.
Throughout Stay Golden, Taddy Porter sounds tight, focused and tough as they make the different sounds work cohesively and it is the diversity of vocalist Andy Brewer's unique voice that holds everything together.
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