The Lucky Strokes [CD]

If luck is what happens when hard work meets opportunity, the union of Eddie Roberts & The Lucky Strokes epitomizes that adage. The New Mastersounds' guitarist and bandleader has a knack for leaning into individual strengths and that sensibility is evidenced through his recruitment of Mississippi-based guitarist and vocalist, Shelby Kemp, who brings a Southern rock grit and candid, nimble songwriting to team up with the Tampa Bay-based Galbraith sisters who possess a simpatico rhythm section chemistry only found within a family bloodline. Powered by the urbane guitar playing and production of Roberts and you have a new tour de force ensemble that makes listeners stop in their tracks the same way Roberts did upon hearing the talents of Kemp and the Galbraith Sisters. Their self-titled debut album presents a sound that is an amalgamation of celebrated country lyricists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and George Jones mixed with the rhythmically driven aesthetics of James Brown.