Celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band (and 38th as father and son), the Spanic Boys serve up a dozen originals on Sunshine, their eighth album, on their own Cinaps label, with plenty of tasty guitar from father Tom and son Ian.
“What Will You Do,” with guitar-through-Leslie fills, has a Byrds/Burritos feel, while “Secret” recalls Steve Earle, and the title track’s riff and groove sound vaguely like a country version of George Harrison’s “Wah Wah” – that is, if country songs featured backward guitar solos. “Didn’t Love You Anyway” also has a raucous British Invasion feel.
But as rootsy as their sound is, the Spanics are nothing if not original and contemporary. The one formula they wisely don’t deviate from is their tandem lead vocals (dig “I Hear You Talking”) – more proof of those unbeatable genetic harmonies.
This article originally appeared in VG‘s Apr. ’07 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.