Alberta Cross

As soon as front-man Petter Ericson Stakee sings, "I pushed you more than I should" on "Song Three Blues," you immediately want to forgive him. Who cares what wrongs he did? The keyboards, and his wails, are moving! And wait, next in "ATX," he's almost angry, and just as close to vindicated, as he bellows alongside rising electric guitars, "I just want to feel!" This guy has got you wrapped around his little finger. The band, all five of them, are based in Brooklyn, NY. Stakee and Terry Wolfters, the starting members, came from England. The edginess has got to them on this album, probably after the hard knock of a major label drop, but boy does it feel good. With a healthy mixture of country, blues and old school rock'n'roll, "Old Man Chicago" calls upon the good times and "Rise from the Shadows" has all the grittiness its title suggests. "The Thief and the Heartbreaker" is powerful on its own, but it breaks up the full-throttle feel and tries to start again. This album is a long-lasting power trip.