Review: SweetKiss Momma Clean Themselves Up with Southern-Fried ‘What You’ve Got’ EP

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SweetKiss Momma manage to sound like they’re straight out of the south on their latest EP What You’ve Got. The 5-track record, set to release on March 4th, is full of more classic rock sounds than their first two full-lengths. On previous material, SKM had a bluesier sound, one that rolled around in the dirt, scorched its hands on a bonfire, and sneered its way through a rural bar. They played with tempos, mixed in some acoustic folk that betrayed their northwest roots. Now? Well, they washed their hands.

The opening of the title track sets the stage with rootsy, Americana-driven guitar work and vocalist/guitarist Jeff Hamel’s twangy drawl. The track is one of those encouraging, “Let’s get ourselves back together!” tracks that lays it’s posi-vibes all out on the table before hitting you with a percussion-driven, bass-plucking breakdown that lasts a good ninety seconds (nearly half the track). While the swampy attitude and classic southern-rock guitar work are still there (think Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers), the production is noticeably more even for this EP.

“Hot Mess” is a woman-done-me-wrong track that again focuses on a pretty classic formula, a lot of classic-rock guitar, sparse vocals, and an up-tempo beat that doesn’t quite make it to the dance floor. This is toe-tapping, beer-at-the-bar, soulful rock music. “Rockwell” picks up an impressive harmonica track and Hamel’s voice is poignant, especially when you can tell he’s really digging in and it gets a little warbly.

Check out “What I Like About You” for a more sultry side and a slower, twisting track that feels like a sweaty front-porch encounter. The record manages to conjure so many pictures in my head its absurd to know SKM isn’t even from the South. Nope, the Puyallup, Washington group has stepped out of grunge and mountain-folk-rock into a country-fried sound that is uncomplicated, throwback southern rock in all its glory. My only complaint is that the tracks end just as I’m thinking they’re going somewhere. And I’m missing some of that fuzzy, lo-fi thunder that blessed their previous work.

While SKM may have taken a turn in the road for What You’ve Got, they haven’t lost their soul.

(Sweetkiss Momma will be having an EP release/European tour send-off party March 4th, at Louie G’s in Fife, WA and you can pre-order the EP on iTunes here. You can stream the title track below via SoundCloud.)

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