Doctor Dunbar's Medicine Band - "Doctor Dunbar's Medicine Band" Review

Artist/ Band: Doctor Dunbar's Medicine Band
Title: Doctor Dunbar's Medicine Band
Label: Ant Nest Records
Year of Release: 2005
Artist/ Band Link (click for details/ ordering)

The Review:

Yet another fantastic gem brought to us by Record Heaven, this time a release through Ant Nest Records. The band, Doctor Dunbar’s Medicine Band, which sounds like something out of the late 60's or early 70's, is a new band. Their self titled debut combines addictive, melodic power-pop (The Kinks, The Who, and Cheap Trick) with some Hammond and guitar driven rock Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Blue Oyster Cult, to name a few). Record Heaven seems to be tapping into the era of rock’n’roll when the music was still “pure”, adventuresome and done as an art form rather than a money machine like most bands today.

Doctor Dunbar’s Medicine Band was formed in 1999 by Gustav (vocals, guitars), David J-L (keyboards, vocals), David L (bass) and drummer Lars. This completed line-up enabled the band to record demos, gig and eventually give the music world their eponymous debut.

Every time I hear this album, one of the appealing things about it is the infectious, eclectic music of each track. Unlike modern rock and roll, you never know what will happen next. Usually the listener can figure out what the next note etc will be but DDMB, does the opposite in a way, thus giving the listener an uncharted aural adventure. As a music fan, this is very important and makes the music more interesting to play over and over.

I think Doctor Dunbar’s Medicine Band has that timeless feel to their music, which is mostly absent in today’s market. Thus can be put side by side with some of the all time greatest albums of rock and roll music. This is recommended for music fans that want something more than what’s being offered while still remaining in a comfort zone. This is one of 2005's better releases and gets a recommendation from me. I can't wait for future recordings from this band!

Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on February 14th, 2006

Tracks:

1. Good Bye Song (3:33)

2. Crazy Baby (2:17)

3. My One True Love (5:07)

4. The Lucky Strike (1:42)

5. Tennis Shoes (3:35)

6. Brand New Day (5:02)

7. I Wanna Party (4:30)

8. The Peak Performance Song (5:01)

9. Need To Get (4:16)

10. Happy Go Lucky (4:12)

11. Rock Your World (2:49)