There’s no stopping Baltimore-based The Bridge.
A sampling of songs from the band’s latest release, “Blind Man’s Hill,” showcases how the band’s bluegrass/roots/jam style has matured into more textured sound. A sampling of songs from the album shows Cris Jacobs’ vocals — particularly on “Honey Bee” and “Easy Jane” — are an amazing mix of blues and funk, making him a vocal powerhouse fronting a band with richly woven sound.
“[We are] realizing the vision of the band,” Jacobs said of the release. “On the last album we had a lot of special guests; this album was a much more collaborative effort” among the band members.
Add to that a new member — Mark Brown on keyboards — and a seemingly more confident playing style all around, and you have the makings for arguably the next national breakout artist from Baltimore. That’s saying something, considering most of the songs on the new release were written just prior to recording.
“We brought them to the table and they [hadn’t been through] as much road testing, but we feel we definitely delivered,” Jacobs said. “It made a nice, cohesive album.”
That sound has definitely won initial buzz as evidenced by a handful of initial reviews including one by a critic identified as Planbee on the Homegrown Music Network: “Blind Man’s Hill is a crystal clear sonic statement of this Baltimore band’s expansive vision. It reveals their fully realized powers in quick, cutting bursts of funked-up country rock, sometimes dipping farther into the well of a particular style, but never settling there.”
That’s the beautiful part of The Bridge — the music can’t be categorized under any one genre but instead plucks pieces of funk, blues, jazz, country and even a bit of rhythm into a musical blend with Jacobs’ powerhouse vocals as the most reliable constant.
Still, Jacobs said the band is still evolving, carving out its own unique sound which began when he and buddy Kenny Liner, who plays mandolin and beat-boxes, started jamming. The band, with Jacobs and Liner as the main songwriters, developed a loyal regional following that exploded in 2005 when the band performed in front of 15,000 attendees at the All Good Festival in Masontown, W.Va., and received phenomenal kudos that continue as it tours.
“We are just going to keep touring,” said Cris. “That’s what bands like us need to do, to be heard.”
If you go
The Bridge with Ekoostik Hookah
» Venue: Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place, Baltimore
» When: 7:30 tonight
» Tickets: $15
» Information: 410-547-SEAT; ticketmaster.com
