Just Add Ice review from Goldmine

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November 9, 1996

THE V-ROYS Just Add Ice E-Squared (1050) Review

Every album should have one. This album's got one. Track number seven, "Cry," which gallops in on not one but two killer riffs, one fuzz and one tremolo, that drill into the skull as precision-like as the ones kicking off the Plimsouls' "Million Miles Away," the dB's "Black And White," and a host of other classic power pop anthems. From there the band steers a neo-rockabilly raveup that, for a mere 2:10, insists that the listener hit "replay" again and again and again. Lord knows what this Tennessee quartet can do with the tune in concert, but you can bet it will involve much audience feedback, the hoisting of beer bottles from the men and twirling of party skirts from the ladies.

The tune's perched mid-disc 'twixt assorted twangathons that locate the band in New Depression territory and garage stompers that suggest songwriters Scott Miller (not the Game Theory/Loud Family auteur, by the way) and Mike Harrison (not the Spooky Tooth cat, oldtimers) have more than a passing familiarity with the psych-punks of the '60s. From the rootsy, upbeat "Guess I Know I'm Right" and "Sooner or Later," both of which merge Son Volt/Wilco arrangements with sleek CCR guitar patterns, to gnarly distorto rockers like "Wind Down" (think Rev. Horton Heat or Southern Culture on the Skids), to beat combo-styled melodic pop that affirms the '60s connection ("Around You" is a quirky combination of Beatles and Kinks), the V-Roys deliver a diverse plate of goods. Tuneful singing, precision riffs, loose-limbed rhythms, and just plain strong songwriting give the band an economical appeal that can easily touch a wide audience.

A well-balanced musical diet, in other words, supplemented by lots of beer. Hell, the closing track spells that out: it's called "Cold Beer Hello," and its an unabashed tribute to the powers of ale ("you'll have me on the floor before long") sung as if to a delectable femme fatale. Presented and produced by none other than Steve Earle and Ray Kennedy -- E-Squared is Earle's label -- the V-Roys are what you'd call 'a bar-band's bar-band."