Thanks to the single 'Suitcase' I was alerted to an album I should not have missed. Black Sheep is an album so full of energy and melody that every lover of rock and roll and punk should hear it. The band, Jordan Acosta - Guitar & Vocals, Cheyenne Dean - Bass & Vocals, Kevin Kalen - Guitar & Vocals, Joe Salamone - Drums & Vocals, literally do everything right on Black Sheep.
Punkrock fans will recognise influences ranging from The Ramones to The Offspring and back. For me punk stops when there's just anger and frustration. Often here after enter weak melodies and a lot of screaming and shouting. WiMP! however translates these emotions into golden melodies played with the pedal surely but safely pushed in hard.
Suitcase turned out to be the outlier on Black Sheep. The song is sung by bass player Cheyenne Dean, where all the others are sung by Jordan Acosta. This surprised me when I put on the album, but not for long. Acosta's voice is great for these songs and I'm certain that Dean's background vocals enrich Black Sheep more than if it had been the other way around. The harmony vocals certainly are another strong selling point for the album. The two really sing well together, sometimes assisted by guitarist Kalen and drummer Salamone. More importantly, the songs invite singing along to and as loud as possible.
What keeps hitting me, as it were, is the energy contained on Black Sheep. The songs are to the point. If there's a solo it is to the point. Additional melodies within a song are always found. The power of the band comes fully across. So does an album like Black Sheep need more words? No, it doesn't. The music tells the story and my impression of it can be contained in just three words: I love it!
Wout de Natris
You can listen to and order Black Sheep here:
https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/black-sheep
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