If you like your rock and roll loud and with no-frills, you’ll love The Steepwater Band. A trio with plenty of great influences, the 14 cuts on this live disc touch on blues, pop, and plenty of soul.

Guitarist/singer Jeff Massey is the focal point, and his slide playing is the predominant element much of the time. His tone is as Gibson-esque as you could get on tunes like “Fire Away,” where a descending chord sequence turns into a soulful rock solo. The band (Tod Bowers on bass and Joe Winters on drums) can write a song that sounds new and intimately familiar all at the same time. “All the Way to Nowhere” is a riff-driven tune that proves it. “The Stars Look Good Tonight” is a hook-driven pop-rocker with crunchy chords and an arpeggiodriven solo.

The Steepwater Band is carrying on a tradition, of sorts, and the appreciative audience here knows that. This is music with big guitar riffs, fine solos, great lyrics, and gritty vocals.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s June ’11 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.