The Colour

“Black Summer”
from the album Between Earth & Sky
2007
iTunes

MP3 – “Black Summer” [right-click/save-as]

There’s no denying that Between Earth & Sky is a pretty good album, but there are still several things about the Colour that make you question their sincerity. For one thing, theyre an L.A.-area band attempting to appear exotic by spelling “color” with a “u.” For another, their lead singer, Wyatt Hull, spends a lot of time trying very hard to sound like Bono or occasionally, Jack White, while the band does their best Rolling Stones’ imitation. What’s more, their video for “Devil’s Got a Holda Me” leads one to believe that they weren’t satisfied with merely sounding like the Stones; the visual style on display in the video — including Hull’s performance — is a clear act of mimicry. One gets the sense that this is a band with a roving hand that has simply found its way into the Stones’ deep pockets. It’s a source that has enriched many other larcenous minstrels, and while I do question the Colour’s originality, this swaggering collection of rock ‘n’ roll has enough high points that they at least deserve a chance to prove what talented thieves they are.

The aforementioned “Devil’s Got a Holda Me,” with its strutting rhythm and stuttering guitar, goes a long way toward doing just that. It’s loaded with a powerful bass sound that you can literally feel, particularly in the chorus, and whenever the bass drops out briefly, it creates a delicious moment of tension in anticipation of its return. This is a song that will have you bobbing your head or tapping your feet in spite of yourself. It also serves as a great lead-in for “Just a Taste,” a song that is destined to take this band into many a pre-encore break. Let’s put it this way, if scientists could design an algorithm to maximize the chance of a crowd whipping out their lighters and singing along with the chorus, it would create something very much like “Just a Taste.” On the other hand, “Black Summer” and “Salt the Earth” strive for an epic sound and feature Hull’s most Bono-esque vocals. “Black Summer” in particular sounds like an 80s era U2 track minus The Edge’s signature sound.

These songs and several lesser, but still worthwhile tracks make Between Earth & Sky a noteworthy, if not particularly original, collection of music. That being said, you have to wonder if it will create fans of the Colour or if it will just remind people how great the artists who inspired them are. Either way, there is hope for this band. The Rolling Stones themselves began their career by stealing from the blues and early rockers like Chuck Berry, but they managed to build on that sound and develop it into something all their own. In one last, ironic feat of duplication, the Colour could follow their idols by swerving from the path they’ve cleared. So while the Colour may have picked some considerable musical wealth from the Stones’ pockets, they can’t survive on that forever. They’re talented, but if they ever want to be more than a second tier act, they’re going to have to show us that their artistry goes beyond imitation.