Album Review: The Widowbirds - Black Into The Blue

21 September 2015 | 7:12 pm | Matt MacMaster

"Bon Jovi, flat beer and regrettable back tattoos are three things you could engage with that are more interesting than this."

The Voice alum Simon Meli leads his troupe The Widowbirds through album number three, another slog through exhausted blues/rock/soul tropes that evaporates immediately post-listen.

Bon Jovi, flat beer and regrettable back tattoos are three things you could engage with that are more interesting than this. Gurgling organs and a decent voice mean bupkis when you use them to service dull-edged tunes riddled with cliches. There's no life to it, no tension, no slivers of profundity hidden in the details. It's just a flat record full of undoubtedly talented musicians that need to try a lot harder.