A native of Richmond/Virginia, hotspot of the American Civil War, home to the detective novel's genitor Edgar Allan Poe's museum, and now to the Southern rock Americana-tinted the band of the Trongone brothers Andrew Trongone (vocals and guitar) ) and Johnny Trongone (drums), completed by Todd Herrington (bass and vocals), Ben White (Wolfe) (keyboards and vocals), with to their name an outstanding nine-track album "Keys To The House" released in 2017. This album has musical affinities close to their fellow Virginian Mozely Rose, especially on the first track that opens the album, "Blind", really southern that gives it the work with an incisive attack on the guitar level. Then we get into this style of current hybrid Southern rock that many love, implemented for years by the Atlanta Georgians Blackberry Smoke, on "Anne Marie" and "Straigh to Hell" and the sunny jazzy super boogie "Not Coming Home ". Beautiful slide glissandos flow on "Nothing To Lose", notes of piano and felted organ for mid-tempo on "Canyon Road". Until the end of the album, which ends with "Aint 'it Funny", none of the titles is filling, a surprising professionalism almost similar to the musical sensitivity of Blackberry Smoke. People who had the chance to see them live for three dates in France in December 2018 must have really enjoyed themselves. The city of Richmond/Virginia has had the talent for coming out of good southern combos like The Ray Pittman Band, Bill Blue Band: the Trongone Band is in this league.

Jacques Dersigny

This band comes from Richmond, Virginia and was founded by the Trongone brothers, Andrew (guitar and vocals) and Johnny (drums). A bassist and keyboard then completed the combo. This first disc lets well filter its roots and its belonging to the deep South. In fact, this album is two years old but it's never too late to discover a quality band. "Blind" skillfully mixes the Marshall Tucker Band and the Allman Brothers Band with a hint of soul. "Anne Marie" is a Southern Country-Rock song that reminds of Poco or the Byrds. "Straight to hell" is moving towards Bob Seger's "Big Rock US" and the slow, bluesy song "Not coming home" recalls the early Charlie Daniels Band or the Winter Brothers Band. The country-soul ballad "Canyon road" is simply superb with a very nice organ solo and shows a certain gift for the composition. We can also note "Nothing to lose" (a hypnotic Southern rock), "Another lost rambler" (that could be called country-pop), "Love away" (a Southern rock seventies in the style of Wet Willie or Louisiana Leroux) and "Is not it funny" (a funky Southern rock with a touch of Poco in the chorus). The guitar sounds in a Southern way, bass and drums are good at setting the rhythmic line. As for keyboards, they boil down to an organ and a piano as in the good old days. Of course, the influences are clearly understood but the musicians are not in the pure and simple copy. They are inspired by their musical heritage with their own style and they are doing very well. A fresh and friendly record that brings back the listener in the seventies with a current sound.

Olivier Aubry