For over 25 years, ZZ Top has been playing rock & roll with various shades of blues for fans around the world – sometimes, with raw street-corner passion and sometimes with the polished licks that modern technology can provide. Over the years, the only rule has been that there are no rules. Whichever direction the trio heads has been governed by its collective gut, rather than some sort of organized master plan. Drawing from mean rhythms, Rhythmeen is full of tough, funky grooves and gritty electric guitar stylings – music derived from the earthy blues of Elmore James and the forward-thinking adventurous grindings of Jimi Hendrix. Call it modern barroom music; ZZ Top mixes traditional sensibilities with the raw power and energy of a band that is still (or just now?) hitting its stride. It was from these humble beginnings that ZZ Top are able to do what they do best – play their own interpretation of this art form that some cal funk or Texas blues and yet others simply refer to as good ol’ rock & roll. No matter how you classify it, the rough and tumble nature of Rhythmeen is evident from the first guitar blast serving as a useful reminder that this little ol’ band from Texas can still produce a mighty large sound.
Categories: Conversations, Features