Album Review: "Promised Land" by Smokey Fingers

Promised Land

The sounds of Southern Rock are historically heard from the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, and Molly Hatchet so it came as some surprise to hear a similar sound from a band out of Northern Italy. 

Five years after a successful debut, Smokey Fingers has refined their sound while still paying homage to those vintage greats and stands shoulder to shoulder with the newer alt-rockers of today with their latest offering, Promised Land.

Right from the start, with Black Madame's driving, twangy lead guitar and scratchy, straight-forward vocals and Rattlesnake Trail's pedal steel, Smokey Fingers gives the listener a home-style feeling of sipping a cold beer on the front porch with your boots up on the railing. Their sound is gravelly yet comfortable and makes you want to hit the highway and see the back roads and taverns of the land.

Smokey Fingers

Cruising through the rest of the album proves to be a rockabilly whirlwind and includes the familiar country sounds of the banjo and fiddle while maintaining a kind of Kid Rock, hard, Southern rebel swagger. 

The up-tempo Thunderstorm riles you up and tosses you toward the end of the album where Smokey Fingers lets you down easy in the slow, boozy slide of the ballad, No More.

Promised Land evokes familiar sounds of the heavyweight Southern rockers but also has a new, fresh appeal, much like we heard a couple years ago from Blackberry Smoke and even more recently from Monster Truck. Smokey Fingers joins these bands in keeping the South alive and kicking while bringing new voices into the scene and will definitely leave you want to turn it up.

Release: September 9, 2016
Label: Tanzan Music
Genre: Southern Rock

Smokey Fingers Official Website