It Ain't Easy. Shanda & the Howlers

Like all artists on the Rum Bar Records label Shanda and her Howlers are musicians of a certain age with an uncontrollable urge to relive something they missed out on in the past or are simply still very good at. The number of talented bands on the label is impossible to keep up with.

Shanda & the Howlers are new signees to the label. The band hails from Las Vegas. The town has an ever growing hub on Rum Bar. The band is far from one dimensional in its love for 60s music. The listener can expect R&B like Cookie and the Cupcakes played, Johnny Winter or Stevie Ray Vaughan blues rock, girlpop from the early 60s, Motown and everything in between. All original songs, mostly written by bassist and background vocalist Luke Metz. With It Ain't Easy the band releases its third album.

With Shanda Cisneros the band has a front lady that is so easy to listen to. She masters all the genres her Howlers play behind her. Her voice has a tough and deeper quality but has an element that makes a listener melt straight away as well. These moments always comes as a surprise you will find.

The band's music will all sound very familiar. I am not even going to provide you with comparisons, as Shanda & the Howlers emulate dozens of artists in a few genres. What counts most here is that with It Ain't Easy a dozen songs are added to what already exists which all have a full right to exist. They truly add.

Some songs come with surprises as well. It is quite some time ago that I hear a vibraphone play in pop songs. The sound is so nice in 'Whatcha Gonna Do' and Won't Be Back No More'. Something that comes in totally unsuspected and adds even more warmth to an already warm record. You can also find saxes supporting the four piece band, a traditional power trio line up with a singer in front of it.

Live it must be so much fun to see this band. The diverse genres make for a very lively set and will take listeners through all sorts of emotions and motions. Yes, dancing slow and fast will be a part of the live experience. The band is planning to come to Europe in the late summer, early fall of 2022, so be on the lookout for them.

On record the musical diversity on paper may seem like a bit too much. Believe me, it is not. The variety makes every song come alive and each single time the next one another surprise. It Ain't Easy seems to make making records so easy. I'm sure it's not. A lot of love and work must have gone into it, to come up with beauty like this.

Wout de Natris