has been on the oldies circuit so long that the appearance of a new album is a bit of a surprise -- and it's even more so when it's an outright blues album, as it is in 2010's , their first new record in seven years. Fittingly for veterans of the arena rock '70s, s blues are heavily steeped in the British Invasion's version of the blues -- they're long on amplification and extended jams, as should be expected for a band who is an outgrowth of -- but their roots dig deeper, as evidenced by two good cuts with at the end of the record. don't reinvent these songs, but they do play with a considerable amount of energy and a precision that only a veteran touring band could have, making this a nice little surprise for hardcore fans. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine