Most, if not all musicians draw upon past influences in their songwriting. But there’s always danger that enough of yourself does not emerge and you sound too much like someone else. On my first listen to this CD I was shaking my head in amazement. These guys have created a masterful fusion of tons of influences while coming up with a sound that is totally their own.

I can’t possibly cover in this small space all the influences I hear on this recording; ten seconds of one here, two seconds of another there, and once in awhile a song or two that has the general feel of something past. It was constant déjà vu (definition: the illusion of having already experienced something actually being experienced for the first time). That sums it up perfectly for me, and that illusion was glorious.

There is also a marvelous fusion of various styles in Mellow Down Easy’s music; country-rock, acid-rock, blues-rock, southern-rock, funk-rock, and plain old rock and roll. The result is a trip through time from 60s psychedelia to the fresh rock sounds heard in clubs right now. The appeal should span several generations.

The CD starts out rockin’. I heard some Lenny Kravitz tones in the first, “I Am the Universe”, and some good psychedelic sounds and kick-ass drumming in “Love Money”. The country-rocker “Yesterdays” has pedal steel, twanging guitar, and a solid beat (NRPS came to mind). “Ticket” has some great organ work reminiscent of Steppenwolf. The funky “Pure Gold” brought visions of James Brown strutting his stuff. Some nice wah-wah on “Radioactive”, a very bluesy “Long Road Now” that had a hint of Crowded House, and the Wilson Pickett-styled funky “Crazy and Wicked” are more examples of what to look forward to throughout. And I’m just scratching the surface on influences; each song has several. You really need to hear this.

The CD is well-produced with everything in perfect balance. There’s even a bit of stereo cross-channeling that’s right out of the early 70s. The horn at the end of “A Million Pages of Ugly Stories” reminded me, just for a split second, of George Martin’s production techniques with the Beatles. Andrew Adkins (guitar/vocals) and Daryl Dasher’s lyrics are not bad either, covering many of life’s major concerns, including love, peace, and happiness, or at least the search for them.

Get this record, turn it up (it plays well in the car), and play it often. It will tickle your memory and ears for sure. But the best thing about it is it succeeds in being something fresh, new, vital, and ever so tasty. The band’s website is mellowdowneasy.com and so is their MySpace.