Happy Curmudgeons is the brainchild of Dave Hamilton. Hamilton put together an impressive number of musicians to perform on Meant 2 Be. Hamilton and friends play heavily into an Americana vibe that seems influenced from bands ranging from Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffett and an amalgamation of ’70s classic rock bands. It felt like a hodgepodge of Americana when I got to the last track.
The band opens with “Bar Hoppin” which sounds about as fun and loose as the tradition of bar hopping. I can’t say I agree with him that Sunday morning feels alright after a night of bar hopping but I enjoyed the melodies. The bass line was on point. They pour on what sounded like some Lou Reed inspired rock with “Soulsville.” The sax solo was the highlight. They have more success with the title track which sounds like a folk song straight from the late ’60s. “Carnal Boggie” is another highly enjoyable song that felt influenced by a couple of prominent bands from the late ’60s. They have a little trouble shifting gears with “Burn Sugar Burn” which sounds like a ’70s rock anthem for the mere fact that it sounded like a different style. “You Gotta Move On” is about as Americana as you can get while “Butterfly” comes closer to sounding like Alice Copper. The band has some success with the last two tracks “Seasons” and “Scatter Brain.” Meant 2 Be is a really well written album. There are tons of hooks, catchy melodies and great performances. The band also wears their influences on their sleeve to such a degree I couldn’t find the signature sound of Happy Curmudgeons. They are able to with a great degree of success evoke certain sub-genres and even artists throughout the album. Once It was all put together it felt more like a homage to a broad array of artists then a singular vision from one band. Suffice it to say I think this is definitely an album worth spending some time with. The songwriting and performances are worth some of your time and if you enjoy some of the aforementioned bands in the first place this is a no brainer.
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