By Paul T. Mueller
Roots and Roll, the third album from Niagara Falls, Ontario-based band the Black Flies, has a lot going for it. There’s a wealth of polished playing, strong singing and catchy melodies to be found on this collection, described in publicity materials as both Americana and Canadiana.
Where the 13 tracks fall a bit short is the lyrics. Some are a little too obscure – “Gimme Something” seems to be talking about fog, but it’s not clear why. Others seem a little too obvious – “Lost (In Your Eyes)” packs a lot of love-song clichés into three and a half minutes.
Lyrical quibbles aside, The Black Flies’ sound – upbeat, folky pop with some country touches – is eminently listenable. Vocals, including some nice harmonies, are shared between guitarists Jeremy Vokey and Nathanial Goold (who also handles most of the songwriting) and bassist Jay Forhan. Drummer Chris Chudiobiak completes the quartet. A couple of guests make some very notable contributions as well: Dean Malton, who plays lead guitar and also produced the album, and keyboardist Rob Killian. Their value quickly becomes evident – the opening track, “Blinded by the Sun,” is fueled by Malton’s slinky guitar and Killian’s atmospheric backing organ.
The Black Flies have been playing together for about seven years and have been nominated for and/or won several local and regional music awards over that time. With more focused songwriting, bigger and better things seem like a real possibility.
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