Thursday, December 21, 2023

The 1981 Listening Post - Arroyo - Arroyo

 Reviewed by Sheffield Chastain

Released: 1981 Arroyo Arroyo Genre: Wisconsin Southern Rock Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Highlights: One Man One Woman Caroline Gotta Have You Arroyo's self-titled album feels like a cool breeze on a hot summer day - an energizing little Southern Rock tidbit for blasting from your car stereo as you cruise down the open road. Will they make you forget Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Allman Brothers? - no. But you could do worse. Arroyo hailed from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, whose self titled LP won album-of-the-year honors from the Southeast Wisconsin Music Awards. I contend that Arroyo is the greatest Southern Rock band to come out of the Southeast Wisconsin Music scene of the early 80’s. Prove me wrong. Southern Rock fans would probably give this one a thumbs up if we had the full, unadulterated album. We’re missing one track and a few of the others are live studio recordings, so we aren’t getting the full effect. But I’m hearing enough to be impressed. [1] I’m highlighting the sweet harmonies, excellent guitar work, smoking’ harp and strong song crafting on One Man One Woman, Caroline and Gotta Have You - a classic sound in the Southern Rock vein. Overall, Arroyo's self-titled album is a fairly enjoyable romp through the world of Southern Rock. So, hey man, kick back, pour yourself a cold one, and let the music sweep you back to a simpler time when the hair was long, the guitars were loud, and the good times never seemed to end. ********** 1. Seriously, the live studio tracks will disappoint. Especially when you hear how great they sound on the album tracks.

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