"Howl" brings classic rock

Taking another step forward with "Howl," Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) has found the musical pot of gold at the end of a cross-genre musical rainbow. "Howl" rocks hard with a palette of mixed genres, producing an extremely mature sound. There is absolutely no reason why this album should not be adopted into the collection of every true disciple of rock 'n' roll, every fan of Clapton's "Unplugged" album and anybody who loves the folk-rock of Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Having stripped their sound of noise guitars and distortion, BRMC offers pleasant melodies on acoustic guitars strings, anchored by deep, simple bass lines.

Their British influences are now gone, replaced by American born-and-bred gospel, blues and folk music — a modern day mini-American revolution in music. "Howl" is a working band's homage to these roots, but there is something out of place about a band that was originally founded out of a common love for U.K. rock rejecting its history for a baptismal dunking in the waters of Americana music.

Though it seems strange that this former noise-pop band made a fast walk for the red, white and blue hills of mountain music, their homage to the rock gods seems earnest.

It seems the rock gods gave them no advice, except for stealing their electric guitars and amps and, in return, handing them acoustic guitars and harmonicas. And BRMC must have taking this romanticized story of rebirth to heart.

Push that needle on over to "Devil's Waitin'," where the acoustic guitar rules the land with its pickings. The acoustic guitar is accompanied by crooning about some of rock's favorite images: blood, hearts, Jesus, soullessness, prisons, battles, wars, the devil, floods, guns, killers and doors. Weaving the gospel threads into the folk song, the final moans feature a three-man "white boy" gospel choir attempt, present on many other parts of the album, including the a capella intro to "Shuffle Your Feet."

Back-to-back country songs "Ain't No Easy Way" (did I hear a fiddle in the background?) and "Still Suspicion Holds You Tight" provide balance in the album. "Faultline" is another terrifically crafted, folk-styled picking song with an extended harmonica solo.

One of the LP's most brilliant pieces is "Restless Sinner." Its guitar pickings are as addictive as they are harsh, and something jarring is hiding beneath its semi-dissonant melody. It constantly builds, but never seems to finish building to anything. Though this may seem like undesirable quality in a song, it leaves the listener with a sort of musical cottonmouth and constructs a tremendous hook into the latter elements of the album.

So if you find yourself wishing that you were 18 in 1968, or if you think that the golden rock days have passed on, take heart. You no longer need to comb ever-repeating classic rock radio stations or long for an album that satisfies your cravings for gospel, folk, country, rock and blues music. Just grab "Howl" and roll with it, ideally as you drive down Route 66 on a cross-country road trip — but that's just for sentimental effect, other forms of listening work just as well.