More often than not, times of great crisis yield some of the most powerful art. From Bruce Springsteen to Green Day, the music released in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy brought hope to millions. During COVID lockdown, many artists found creative ways to keep us somewhat sane. I can’t pretend I didn’t love Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s kitchen disco parties. Those moments brought some hope to an uncertain time but life has resumed. The excitement of leaving our homes has worn thin, however. Times are tougher than before. Bands are struggling to make a living on the road and radio has been programmed into a boring corporate death spiral. Enter The Blue Lena with the kind of album we used to take for granted.
Led by veteran guitarist Nick Singleton (Crywolf, The Tattooed Love Boys) and vocalist Peter Yeomans (High Treason), The Blue Lena have been around long enough to know every corner of rock-n-roll from The Rolling Stones to Black Crowes. Case in point, the opening riff of “Can You Feel the Rain” reminds you of the first time you met the Crowes on the debut album with opener “Twice As Hard”. Working during lockdown, the band took their time and Darkwood‘s only fault might be that every song is so good that you end up listening to the entire album every time you put it on.
Hailing from the UK, the band filters the Southern Rock through an English sensibility and reminds us of the beautiful music pouring from the little bars that dot the roadside from Memphis to Muscle Shoals. The music has soul – the heartbeat of real people who have paid their dues for more years than they can remember. “Sometimes” laments the passing of years but the irony of the beautiful ballad is that these seven musicians are in their artistic prime on Darkwood.