O
ur EP today begins with the sound of a zipper being lowered; a woman says "very nice," her vocal inflection suggestive ... then the music kicks in. It's a prelude completely in keeping with the aura surrounding the
Detroit Cobras, a band that's routinely name checked in discussions about the current Detroit music revival scene kicked off by
The White Stripes. For one, check out some of those album covers. For another, lead singer Rachel Nagy's resume as an ex-butcher and an ex-exotic dancer is always a bracing fact to throw into a story.
So when I stuck this CD in my car stereo, I was expecting something raunchy, visceral. The Cobras are known for performing covers of obscure classic R&B songs (yes, just covers, although there's rumors of plans for original material on their next full-length) infused with a modern punk spirit. What I hear on Seven Easy Pieces is ... fine. Polished. Too polished.
That's really my only problem with the EP. Since the songs are covers, classic covers at that, there's not a lot to say on that front. Here's what you get, matched to at least one of their original incarnations:
1. Ya Ya Ya (Looking for My Baby) .::. Lookin' for My Baby - The Night Riders
2. My Baby Loves the Secret Agent
3. Heartbeat .::. Gloria Jones
4. You Don't Knock .::. The Staple Singers
5. Silver and Gold .::. When I Get Like This - The "5" Royales
6. 99 and 1/2 Won't Do .::. Sister Tharpe Rosetta
7. Insane Asylum .::. Willie Dixon
"Ya Ya Ya" starts out the EP catchy, with it's band-inclusive chorus. "My Baby Loves the Secret Agent" has one of those choruses that's slightly annoying for reasons you can't quite elucidate (my baby loves the secret agent / my baby loves the secret agent), maybe that's why I can't find out much about its origins. "Silver and Gold" slows down for some torch blues. "99 and 1/2 Won't Do" contains the one truly exciting moment, with a chorus that shifts into syncopating back beats. And "Insane Asylum" menaces the EP to an end (I went out to the insane asylum / and I found my baby there).
Given the material and the band, I can see the live shows possibly being a lot of fun, and the sound being much more crotch-grabbing (sorry there with the crudity, just trying to get into the spirit of the Cobras). But none of that comes through for me on this release. Say what you will about The White Stripes and overexposure, Jack White's playing excites 10 times as much with a single guitar. Based solely on Seven Easy Pieces, the Detroit Cobras sound like ... well, like a solid local blues band.
[sound of zipper raised]
