Artist: Nezrok
CD: Bumper Crop
Label: Independent Artist
Website: https://www.facebook.com/nezrok1?fref=nf
Genre: Melodic Rock, Classic Rock n’ Roll, Americana, Classic Rock, R&B, Jam Band
Sounds Like: Eric Clapton, Starland Vocal Band, Boz Scaggs, Lil’ Feat, Steely Dan, Eddie Money, Tom Petty, Todd Rundgren, Big Star. Jackson Browne, The Grass Roots, Marshall Crenshaw
Best Songs: The Well, Alive, Lost Weekend, Living Life
Weakness: Short sided CD, Winded Songs, Short sided songs, Dated Sound
CD REVIEW:
(BOCA RATON, FL) Chris Korzen has seen many trends come and go since his teenage debut 45 RPM single… – “Nirvana” b/w “Heart and Mind” back in 1984. Yet, throughout his career, Korzen has maintained his integrity to the craft of pop/rock song-writing. The self-taught multi-instrumentalist has explored various genres of music including pop/rock, lounge, jazz and classical, making each exploration his own
The CD kicks things off with “Grow Yung With Me” an upbeat intro piece that serves up classic Americana-Rock vibe with slamming rhythm guitar, screaming solos, driving rhythm, rich harmonies and infectious vocal melody from Korzen and company. Track 2 “Restore” downshifts a bit with its rock steady groove, warm and melodic musical overtone that showcase this band as a moving grooving unit. Track 3 keeps things moving with “The Well” an impressive melody with slamming guitar served up hot against impassioned vocal feel and heartfelt lyrics from Korzen that flows and ebbs its way through to emotional fruition. This CD makes a solid first impression dishing out 3 solid tracks in arrow. As this CD slowly unfolds I can hear many different musical soundscapes reminiscent of such classic acts like Eric Clapton, Boz Scaggs, Lil’ Feat, Steely Dan, Eddie Money, Tom Petty, Todd Rundgren, Big Star, STarland Vocal Band, Jackson Browne, The Grass Roots and Marshall Crenshaw. The music itself is an amazing blend of classic rock, Slamming R&B, Rocking Blues and a dies of rocking pop popular in the 70 and 80’s. I would not classify this music as pop, its more melodic rock with a classic rock aftertaste. Make no bones about it, Korzen and the gang bring some impressive talents to the table. He’s a great guitarist, singer/songwriter and has a very appealing baritone. His voice goes down smooth and his deep rich vocal delivery. Vocally he mostly reminds me of Tom Petty, Boz Scaggs, Eddie Money and even Eric Clapton. You will notice lush layers of instrumentation layered everywhere, from impressive solo guitar licks, horns, Piano, well placed harmonies, keyboards/organ, impressive rhythm guitar, sporadic percussion and thick as a brick rhythm section. But the most impressive thing about this CD is the amazing wit, songwriting prowess and infectious charm from Korzen and his band. All musical touches are brilliant and extremely melodic, the drummer pushes the natural accents perfectly and the silky rhythm section clearly gives this production a solid backbone. All songs are extremely well crafted and consistent across the board. “Bumper Crop” by Nezrok delivers 8 classic tracks all providing deep, thought provoking wisdom with messages that are uplifting and extremely positive. All engineering aspects check out. CD possesses thick low end punch and crystal clear high end clarity. The amazing lyrics to some of these songs truly personify the “love” human condition – mostly carefree subject matter that is highly entertaining. “Bumper Crop” works extremely well in this old school rock setting songs for song and track to track. From melodic “Lost Weekend” to thought provoking “Living Life” to rock steady “Alive” to invigorating “Cheese Factor” this CD has something for just about everyone. CD ends with Track 8 “No Pain No Gain” the perfect finale statement for a CD like this.
CD is a bit short with just 8 tracks, perhaps 4-5 more tracks are needed to make this a fully loaded catalog of music. CD tends to sound a tad bit dated reminiscent of rock bands popular some 20+ years ago. I don’t care for the 2 singer line-up. There are some slight timing issues on Track 2. CD tends to sound a bit dated reminiscent of music popular 30+ years ago. All songs over 4 minutes tend to drag you to the finish line. All songs under 3 minutes feel like incomplete statements to me. I wish there were more solo segments throughout the CD.
From start to finish “Bumper Crop” by Nezrok pulls out all the stops and is a barn burner of a release. The music is consistent, uplifting, and extremely entertaining. More importantly it captures everything you would want from a vintage Classic Rock n’ Roll performance, Note for note, song for song there isn’t really a weak piece on this short but sweet catalog. The writing and playing abilities of Korzen and his band are rock solid. The lyrics are catchy, the melodies are well crafted and hooky and the musical charisma of Nezrok company will no doubt suck you in.
REVERBNATION: https://www.reverbnation.com/nezrok
Cyrus Rhodes