Crossroad Saints
A Song Of Your Own
(Daryl Venable)

Pushing us into the deep beat of “Cradle to the Grave,” Indiana’s Crossroad Saints kicks off their latest album, A Song Of Your Own. They then lay down a less heavy stomp on the horn-infused title track and second song but leave the listener just jumping to get up and dance.

Raucous, deep-in-the-pocket, and solid, Daryl Venable, John Slack, and Mike Slack, who are the nucleus of this band, have their brand of southern rock down pat. By the time we get to Venable laying down his Hammond under his vocals on “Legacy,” one realizes we can get both dark and light shadings from this trio. They slow things down just enough to let their guest musicians lay in a sly groove, making this another great tune.

I dig the slightly stuttered piano of the ballad “Just So You Know,” one of the better songs on A Song of Your Own, I feel. Again, the hint of gospel from these guys is coming through loud and clear.

“Pride” gets things rocking again, with great lead guitar wailing (as there is throughout these eleven), Tim Wright’s pedal steel and piano push “Look Around,” in a Bob Seger mode, “You and Me” has Crossroad Saints doing their best with soul (once again we get some great horn playing) and an echoey ’70s sounding electric piano, “What’s It Mean,” ends the proceedings.

A Song of Your Own is a robust collection of songs, with a good variety of styles in the mix yet all retaining the stamp of what Crossroad Saints are at their core.