Eli Young Band,
Level

Label: Carnival Recording Company
Year: 2005

(4 out of 5)

The Eli Young Band blends disparate influences into a fresh, young sound. Primarily a country/rock band, traces of pop, metal, blues, grunge, and folk abound from one song to the next.

While it's awkward to pigeonhole the group's sound, it's easy to recognize its talent. Level should be the album that elevates EYB from regional buzz band to greater success.

The first single, "Small Town Kid", is rising up the Texas Music Chart. This upbeat ode to downhome simplicity is a good fit for radio, but it's not even one of the strongest cuts on the album.

"When It Rains" is much more complex and rewarding. Sunny optimism is gone, replaced by heartbreak and despair. When it rains, I don't mind being lonely / I cry right along with the sky / When it rains, I don't pretend to be happy / I don't even have to try … Start out depressed then everything comes as a pleasant surprise. Mike Eli's plaintive vocals further darken the already grim lyrics, making his pain almost palpable to the listener.

If "When It Rains" is Eli's showcase, then "Level" serves a similar purpose for lead guitarist James Young. Young sizzles through grunge riffs and hair-band progressions, lending the title track an edge missing from its ineffectual lyrics.

"Everything Is You" is a solid heartbreak song with the potential to cut across country, pop, and rock lines on the radio. From teary remembrances (Memories sneak up on me, wherever I go…Chances to break down and cry, wherever I go) to angry defiance (What did I do wrong? Nothing / I treated you like an angel), we get a complete portrait of lovelorn misery.

"Bring It on Home" furthers the defiant tone that ends "Everything Is You." Paired with a Southern-fried rock sound, it and "I Call the Tune" exhibit a testosterone-laced lyrical aggressiveness absent from much of the album.

"Highways and Broken Hearts" shows that EYB still can pull off a straightforward country song. Replete with pedal steel, it's a welcome rhythmical respite and near story-song that highlights Eli's songwriting and lonesome vocals.

While bassist Jon Jones and drummer Chris Thompson may not have much room to shine on Level, they are solid throughout. And there's no question they propel the band's raucous live shows.

Thanks to an eagerness to play before live audiences, the Eli Young Band has established a considerable groundswell of regional support augmented by one full-length album and one EP.

Level, on Nashville-based Carnival Recording Company, sets the stage for EYB to break outside the Texas/Red Dirt scene.

Get ready for the big time, boys.

Listen: "Small Town Kid," When It Rains," "Highways and Broken Hearts"

Buy: Lone Star Music, Amazon

March 24, 2005