I usually assume that bands that have herbs and/or spices in their title have spent too much time listening to old Grateful Dead bootlegs in smoke-filled environments. I would never guess by their name that Clove was a band of progressive-rock types writing very timely, and, yet, beautiful music. They do! For fans of the ’80s band ’Til Tuesday, you’re in for a treat. Lead singer Jennifer Cerreta strikes sounds and inflections amazingly similar to those heard by the super-talented Amy Mann. Like Mann, Cerreta can wind her voice up to the highest of pitches and then let the bottom out of it almost as if trying to imitate Barry White. She pulls this off in less than a second, tricking the listener into thinking that it is something accomplished with ease. I sing, it isn’t!

I have been fortunate enough to hear Clove perform live and I can tell you that Cerreta’s voice is of that strength, both live and on a recording. She is a natural. Before every performance, Cerreta can be heard in the nearest ladies room bellowing warm-up exercises through the walls — a small price to suffer for what comes out after she has become ready.

The amazing aspect of listening to this CD after seeing the band perform is that I have always seen them in an acoustic setting — while the CD is much more alive and full with other instruments. When I first met Clove’s drummer Dave, I asked him what it was like to have a ‘chick’ lead singer. He responded casually that, “it might be weird if she wasn’t my wife, but we have a great relationship which lends itself to a great band.” When my foot was comfortably out of my mouth, I asked him how often they played, and he told me that they try to play between four to six nights a week. The tightness that is born of such frequency is evident throughout this album. On average, they write a song a week or more, giving them plenty of material to choose from. The Fragrant Explosion is a short, perfectly balanced album of eight songs. Your mood follows the flow of the record. The album starts very upbeat with “Anthem” and keeps you up until about the fourth song “Shelter” where you become, like the record, introspective. In fact, I enjoyed The Fragrant Explosion so much that I listened to it three times in a row to write this review — F.Y.I. that’s not in the job description! Check out clovemusic.com and catch them performing live October 1st at the Rusty Nail and October 22nd at Thoroughbreds.

I often wonder where bands find the creativity to bring back a style of music that has already come and gone and still manage to put their own sauce on it. I’m even more perplexed when a band pulls it off. The Dead 50’s walk this fine line with distinct finesse. I’ve seen class acts like the Martini Bros. and Big Tubba Mista do it on the stage, and now I’ve heard the Dead 50’s do it on their album Every Step Towards Death...

With reeling guitars and the witty story telling of a Rev. Horton Heat, The 50’s latest album keeps kickin’ from start to finish. I imagine that without the predisposed notions that come from knowing the title of a band one could listen to this record without ever thinking that their music is the reinvention of a time period past. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure it is. To these ears however, I hear the surf guitar tones, soda shop-story lyrics — there’s a song on the album called “My Daddy Was a Pistol” and one called “Come on and Ride.” After declaring that, “My daddy was a pistol,” the singer quickly reasons, “And I’m a son of a gun.” This band taps into youth rebellion and the need to party in a way that many of their fans must be able relate to without much effort.

While reading through the lyric pages, I saw some portions of songs that I evidently missed on first listen. Shall I say, ‘uncensored,’ ‘edgy,’ — what? Let’s put it this way, I blushed and I’m all grown up and black to boot. To be sure, they let ’em fly, but it is, after all, rock and roll … so, more power to them.

On the first few seconds of tracks four, “Long Way Back,” and twelve, “Drives All Night,” I would have thought that I was listening to a punk album. The tempo is very up and in your face. Still, it sounds like boys making their own music and doing it with a stamp of originality. I would love to see this band on the stage, as I know that there would be folks on the dance floor cutting it up the old-fashioned way. Although I would, for example, think it a bit unseemly to be “moshing” to this music — while the youth of today might just as soon run full speed into one another (as a sign of endearment) when listening to J.S. Bach — this is dancin’-shoes-music baby!

When I give the big thumbs up to music that I would not expect to like, I can recommend it with the ease of knowing that most of the people that I would turn on to it will like it, as well. So, check out what they’ve got, you just might find out something about yourself that you did not know before.

Be sure to catch The Dead 50’s performing live on October 9th at Fall Fest and October 16th at Gullifty’s.