SAM ROBERTS BAND play Massey Hall June 3 and 4. See listing. Rating: NNN
It’s kind of strange that this is the first album credited to the Sam Roberts Band it actually sounds less like his live band than any of his previous recordings under his own name. Bringing in members of Califone and Antibalas alongside producer Brian Deck, Roberts dresses up his meat-and-potatoes pop/rock with horns, synths and percussion, presumably in an effort to sound more contemporary and edgy. The good news for diehard Roberts fans is that the extra ornamentation is just that: essentially we get exactly what we expect from him, with some weirdness layered on top.
The downside is that all the extras sound added after the fact and for the most part bring nothing to the songs. He’d have been better off accepting that he’s a rock singer and focusing on great guitar riffs. Often he’s trying too hard to be cool, and it’s unconvincing. When it does work, the band sounds surprisingly like Broken Social Scene, but with more cowbell. Luckily, you really don’t notice the embellishments much, so fans don’t have to worry about getting distracted.
Top track: Longitude