One Eyed Doll
Witches
(Standby Records)
One Eyed Dolls’ Witches is an album bursting with well-crafted musicianship. Witches, a concept album based off of individual testimonies of the Salem witch trials, is presumably their best work yet.
The Texas power duo marks Witches as their sixth release and first with Standby Records. Still, with six albums under their belt, they remain partially unknown in mainstream rock. The album features the heaviest material in their repertoire. Each track is unique and stands alone. Much of the album’s heaviness comes from Jason Sewell’s (Junior) emphasis on solid percussion and front-woman Kimberly Freeman’s bottom-end guitar riffs. The fourth track, “A Rope for Mary,” emphasizes Freeman’s eloquent vocal abilities and is the best depiction of the album’s strength and One Eyed Doll’s diversity as a band. “A Rope for Mary,” is a blend of powerful soulful vocals and dirty country blues riffs creating a tension with climax and release that drives and pushes the song the entire six minutes.
Although this is their heaviest material yet, it also includes some classically influenced pieces and an instrumental track “Remember,” which has a beautiful acoustic and whimsical feel.
One Eyed Doll is also an amazing live act. They hold a fresh appeal to their performances and keep a high energy level throughout, offering interesting stage props and impacting personality. Freeman’s corky, eloquent and powerful voice paired with Junior’s vast musical skill (as he plays most of the additional instruments in recordings) truly makes One Eyed Doll one of the perhaps, most under-rated acts in rock music today.
(Macie Bennett)
