Album Review by Mark Bayross
POWDER BURNS sees The Twilight Singers fulfil the potential they have always promised as Greg Dulli, wounded and incensed by the tragedy that befell his adopted hometown of New Orleans last year, has mustered all his heart and soul into an album of astonishing power and beauty.
Opening with the furious I’M READY, this is a different Twilight Singers from the mainly melancholic BLACKBERRY BELLE – this is angry, impassioned and vital. THERE’S BEEN AN ACCIDENT takes things to an even more epic level as piano and strings enhance a song that builds and builds into a hair-raising climax – another dramatic high in musical legacy that is peppered with dramatic highs.
From the dirty blues of FORTY DOLLARS and electro-balladry of CANDY CANE CRAWL to the rousing UNDERNEATH THE WAVES and BONNIE BRAE, this is not just classic Dulli, it’s the sound of the man finding his voice and letting rip in cathartic, life-affirming fashion. Guest appearances from Joseph Arthur, Ani DiFranco and Scott Bennett, not to mention former Afghan Whig bassist John Curley, serve to enhance POWDER BURNS’ sense of completeness.
For those of you still mourning the passing of the Afghan Whigs, cry no more – this is Greg Dulli’s new masterpiece.
