Cowboy Prostitutes - 'S/T'
                                                                                                                                                            Released on Retrospect Records in 2004
                                                                                                                                                                         www.cowboyprostitutes.com
THE BAND:
Lucus Isabelle – bass and lead vocals
Andreas Strömbäck – guitars
Andreas Wickström – keyboards
Martin Wilhemsson – guitars
Pistolper - drums


TRACK FRAGMENTS:
1.) "Blood On The Blade" -The intro to this track opens with the full band.  Unlike most songs of this genre instead of a lead guitar scale over top over the intro arrangement.  The band chose to just play a lead guitar rhythm.  This is something that was very big in Rock 'n' Roll of the seventies.  The chorus is fairly standard with a small vocal hook.  The guitar solo was of equal volume as the backing musical section and was very over shadowed because of the way it was recorded.
2.) "Make A Name For Yourself" -This track opens with a very laid back lead guitar rhythm.  you can hear a Deep Purplish keyboard arrangement bleeding through the opening of the first verse section.  The musical arrangement of the verse section is arranged in the style of seventies rock with an eighties heavy metal flare.  The highlight of the pre-verse was the drummers bass drum control.  There is a very cool lead guitar pick slide that kicks the pre-chorus in.  On the chorus of this song the backing vocals shine through a lot better than the first track.  You can hear the solo a little better on this track.  The drum fills backing the guitar solo section added a lot of depth to the song.  The guitar solo runs underneath the ending chorus section.
3.) "Wasted" -This track opens with a very abstract blues/metal acoustic guitar riff.  One bar into the first half of the intro section the full band kicks the song in.  There is a very small lead guitar scale that is at the end of the intro section.  This lead guitar scale could have packed a better punch.  The backing music of the first verse drown the vocal out so bad it is very difficult to hear the vocal lines.  In the fashion the band arranged the chorus section gives the chorus a very "Lovin' You's A Dirty Job" by Ratt feel.  There is a small lead guitar scale after the first chorus section.  After the second chorus second chorus there is a small breakdown section, where Pistolper plays a rhythm using his toms.  Also during the breakdown section there is a very small sixties influenced keyboard solo.  The song has no guitar solo!!
4.) "Joy" (dedicated to Joey Ramone) -This track open with a simple electric guitar picking pattern.  The intro to this song is very short.  When the main body of the song kicks in after the first pre-verse there is a very cool keyboard arrangement that changes the dynamics of the song.  There is a very laid back vocal hook through the small chorus section.  The keyboard arrangement makes this song.  I don't really know way but I figured the song would have more of a Ramones feel, but it doesn't.  I guess I thought that because it was dedicated to Joey. During the solo section there is a very cool bass line.  The solo really isn't much too speak of. The song has a very abstract outro section.  That does not really fit in with the song.
5.) "Welcome Back" -The intro to this track has an older eight Matthis Jags and Rudolf Schenker of the Scorpions feel to it.  Towards the end of the intro section there is a lead guitar scale that runs underneath the first pre-verse.  This is one of the few songs where the musical arrangement does not over shadow the vocal lines.  The addition of the acoustic guitar really changed the direction of the song.  After the first verse the band change the musical arrangement of the song just a little.  The guitar solo has a very seventies feel.  For the second half of the guitar solo it sounds like the band changed the timing structure of the song also.
6.) "The Damned" -This track opens with a small drum fill.  The guitar riffs of the intro section have a very George Lynch (Dokken) influence.  Pistolper chose to use a tom-tom rhythm through the verse sections.  The song has a strange mix of abstract music arrangements along with vocal hooks in the vocal lines.  At times the vocal accents through the verse sections remind me of some of the stuff Fastway where doing on the "Trick or Treat" soundtrack.  The solo section has a very laid back blues feel to it.
7.) "Television" -This track open with a Bad Company style guitar riff.  The addition of the acoustic guitar filled in a lot of the empty spaces of the musical arrangement.  Once again the music over powers the vocals on the verses.  It sounds like the band added a very simple harmonica section on the song, which gives the musical section a Black Crows feel.  The music has a very crisp sound to it and was very well produced.  The song has a harmonica solo section. 
8.) "Alive n' Well"  -This track opens with a very simple guitar riff.  Underneath the pre-verse you can hear a small harmonica arrangement.  The chorus is much like the intro a verse just very laid back with a simple feel.  There is a small drum fill that kicks the breakdown in.  The solo on this song is one of the better ones.
9.) "Ghost Of Venice" -The track opens with a keyboard arrangement.  After the small keyboard section there is a small lead guitar riff that sounds like it was being played by both guitarist.  This section of the song has a very progressive influence.  At times Lucus's vocal accents have a Alice Cooper feel to them.  For the pre-verse section Lucus is speaking the lyrics more than he is actually singing them.  The highlight on this song is the keyboard arrangement.;
10.) "Over The Top" -This track opens with a motorcycle tacking off.  The intro of the song has an older seventies feel to it.  Through the verse sections the drums are the main instrument.  The main musical body of the song was arranged in a very standard rock 'n' roll style.  The short guitar solo was set up and arranged much in the same way as the rest of the song.


    I was not very impressed with this release. At times it sounds like the band is playing one thing while the singer is singing something else. If Lucas had have changed the pitch of his vocal lines the songs would have been a lot better.  There is several times the music just over powers the vocals to the point where it is very difficult to understand what is being sung.  Musically the songs are very good and the musicians are talented and if the band would make these few minor changes the songs on this release would be a lot better.  Because there was so many great bands that released great CD's in 2004 and then 2005 on paper looks like it will be even better.  I would recommend music fans just stay away from this release.