J-Man
Voodoo Highway may be a relatively new group of Italian hard rockers, but the music on their debut album sounds like it could've been straight out of the early seventies. Outrageous Hammond organs, heavy guitar riffs, and a genuinely fun atmosphere are all the name of the game here, and Broken Uncle's Inn is certainly more about living up to the true spirit of rock and roll than pushing a whole lot of boundaries. Voodoo Highway aren't a particularly original group in any sense of the word, but they do prove their chops with Broken Uncle's Inn. Those in search of a rowdy heavy rock album with some impressive tunes will probably want to check out what Voodoo Highway have to offer here!
Voodoo Highway play fairly straightforward retro hard rock on Broken Uncle's Inn with a few touches of heavy metal and melodic rock. Although far from an original concoction, their sound does make for an enjoyable, albeit a bit shallow, couple of listens. Broken Uncle's Inn is a fun album for sure, but it lacks the compositional depth and innovation to keep my attention for more than a few listens. The straightforward songwriting and fairly unoriginal sound keeps this from being anything too memorable, but that isn't to say that this isn't good for a few listens. There are enough well-written hard rock tunes here to keep me entertained for the album's entire duration, and there's absolutely no doubt that Broken Uncle's Inn is a high-quality product. The sleek production and professional musicianship are both excellent, and the songwriting - despite being a bit shallow - is still impressive and highly enjoyable.
Even though Broken Uncle's Inn may not quite meet the demands of music fans looking for something new and inventive in the well-trodden genre of hard rock, enthusiasts of the genre should make sure not to miss this debut. Despite my somewhat lukewarm review, the reality is that I've actually enjoyed listening to Voodoo Highway quite a bit over the last few weeks. I can't see myself revisiting this too often in the future, but hopefully more memorability and originality will come in the near future for Voodoo Highway - they have the potential. 3 stars seem pretty fair in this case.