The High Keys - A little Too Heavy (1970-72, Sundazed 2022)⭐

Artist: The High Keys
Title Of Album: A little Too Heavy
Year Of Release: 2022
Label: Sundazed
Country of Artist (Band): US
Genre: Hard classic rock
Audio codec: FLAC (*.flac)
Rip type: tracks+.cue
Audio bitrate: lossless

Piquant three-part harmonies, cumbersome guitar woven tightly with organ flourishes, all poured over hot rhythm grooves! Recorded 1970-1972 under the watchful eyes and ears of Ron and Howard Albert, aka Fat Albert Productions (Wishbone Ash, Procol Harum, CSN) at the legendary Criteria Studios in Miami, this powerhouse album finally sees the light of day

The album was the culmination of years of hard work by the High Keys. “A Little Too Heavy” is a commanding opener, mixing organ flourishes with heavy lead guitar runs for a searing hard rocker that proudly displays their Vanilla Fudge influence. “Bird In The Hand” and the road weary “Headin’ Home” also lay down the heavy gauntlet — the former with some fine soloing and the latter with complex harmonies and rhythms as fast as a touring van's wheels. And on “Too God To Be True,” the hard rock is slower, more contemplative and, above all, still affecting.

But the band could do more than just rock out, sliding into a soulful groove on “Memories Never Cease,” laying back for a ballad on “Chance” and doing a little of both on “Buffalo Girl,” which starts as a melancholy blues before segueing into a hard-rockin’ climax that leaves room for Druckman to stretch out again. The playful “I’m On My Way Up” takes still another direction with more great harmonies to bolster its choruses, while congas played by Calarusso fill out the sound on the catchy rock of “It’s Alright.” “Something New” displays the band’s melodic inclinations, which can also be heard on the pleading “Take Me Back.”

Tracks:
1. A Little Too Heavy - 2:32
2. Memories Never Cease - 3:01
3. I'm On My Way Up - 4:24
4. Bird In Hand - 1:52
5. Buffalo Girl - 5:46
6. It's Alright - 3:45
7. Chance - 3:32
8. Something New - 2:46
9. Headin' Home - 1:47
10.Too God To Be True - 2:52
11.Take Me Back - 2:56

Personnel:
Johnny DiFrancesca - Keyboards, Vocals (1970-71)
Rick Carhart - Bass
Marty Druckman - Lead Guitar
Michael "Gino" Schimpf - Drums
Joey Colarusso - Guitar, Vocals, Congas
Terry Bossier - Keyboards (1971-72)