CD Review: New Music From Chicago From The Shams Band And Cobalt & The Hired Guns

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From the heart of Chicago comes The Shams Band, made up ofDonnie Biggins (Acoustic Guitar, Vocals), Paul Gulyas (Electric Guitar, Vocals),Doug Hill (Drums), Brian Patterson (Bass), Ben White (Banjo, Percussion). Theyhave a brand-new album entitled “Cold City” which expands on the traditionalAmericana sound, adding a bit more of a classic rock element.

The album begins with the title song, “Cold City,” a tributeto their hometown of Chicago as you notice a more alternative rock sound withslight comparisons to The Avett Brothers. They head to a more country settingwith “Love You The Most” before making a U-turn to the garage rock sound of “Breadwinner.”You finally notice the amazing harmonizing between the band members on “CauseYou Can” and “Trunk Whiskey.” They rely on their roots for the country romp of “VirginMary,” before heading into the blues for “The Des Plaines River.” The albumcloses with the band returns to country rock with the up-tempo “I’m Not Sorry.”

The Shams Band has a show on the schedule for September 28in Chicago. For more information, check out theshamesband.com.

Also from Chicago, come the pop-punk sounds of Cobalt & theHired Guns. They recently released their full-length sophomore album entitled “EverybodyWins.” The core of Cobalt & the Hired Guns consist of the trio of JesseAlexander (Drums, Vocals), Tominson Fort (Guitar, Vocals) and Mike Roath (Bass,Guitar, Vocals). At any given time, they are joined by as many as twelve other musiciansto give the songs whatever they need.They’re music crosses the musical boundaries of rock, punk,country and Americana. They show off their energy on the album’s opening song “LikeYou Like Me Like Me” and add some horns to “Leaving” to give the song a moreska-punk sound. They venture into the country/Americana for “You Left YourSweater” as they bring banjos and acoustics into the mix. Cobalt & TheHired Guns return to a more pop-rock sound in “Ghost Of The Road” and “Blue andWhite.” The horn section makes a return in “Last August” and gives the song afuller sound. The album closes with their tribute to the state of Oregon(?) in“Oregon, I Know.”Cobalt & The Hired Guns currently have no datesscheduled, but make to visit their website (cobaltandthehiredguns.com) for updatesand announcements.