Stone Soul Foundation

Electric Valley

Sean Muldoon - Lead singer

             Hailing from Syracuse, New York Stone Soul Foundation began their journey in 2002. The seasoned vets have toured with countless national acts with their dynamic and powerful lyrics as well as their pounding drums and guitar riffs. Let’s see if their new album Electric Valley follows those descriptions. The album features 13 tracks which includes 2 radio edited tracks (11 original tracks overall). They get the album going with “Sidewalker” which opens up with an old school sound and some bluesy vocals. Everything seems to be set back in with not one element being right in the forefront. There are moments were the vocals sound like they are just talking instead of singing. Those places are a bit weird and really don’t fit well. The guys do offer up a nice sounding instrumental section that spices up the tune and nearly makes up for the odd vocal sections. It’s a descent tune, but I think it will take a while to get use to. “Christian” opens up with a killer intro before the raw vocals come strolling in. The track offers up some great vibes and sweet guitars. The lyrics are solid with very good points, but with them coupled with the vocals they are a bit hard to pick up. Everything seems pretty good, but the way that they set back in the track it just makes it hard to hear. “Electric Valley” continues on the path of the first two tracks. They infuse this tune with some gage vocals, but more importantly they offer up some killer guitars. It’s a decent track, but I can’t get past the way the vocals are recorded once again. They just might not be studio friendly ones, but the music is great. “Aint No Mystery” opens with a killer mini intro before some good vocals come in. These ones are a bit more upfront than the past tracks and move along with ease. This tune turns back the clock and really opens itself up to you. There is a nice little lull spot in the track that opens up for a dramatic sounding rebound from the guitars and drums. It’s the best sounding tune from the album thus far. “Song About You” begins with an odd intro that draws you in close before the vocals enter into the fold. The vocal style goes back to the first few tracks, but they also place in some screams and yells that are intermixed with the backing vocals. That portion of the track does not sound very good at all. There is too much going on and it’s hard to digest. “Window” slows the album down some. The music is awesome as it will captivate you. The vocals aren’t too bad either as they offer up a nice set of lyrics. It’s a track that you can just let float in the background. “Mountain Of Time” is really raw and loud. The vocals are up in your face for the better part of the track while they rip off some nice solos sections. There are a few spots where the track is super strange however; there are some spots that are killer. If you average them out the track is right in the middle. Other than that small weird spot the track is strong. “Next Flight” opens up with a nice little bass line that quickly gets swallowed up by the rest of the guys. The track is smooth and sounds solid. It glides along with ease with clear vocals and nice vibe. This is at the top of the list for this album. The track is a star. “Gonna Try” continues on the good path as it offers up another solid tune. There is an odd spot where the vocals try to rattle off a series of lyrics and I just don’t think it works the way they intended for it to. The music, as it had been the entire album, is solid once again. “They Are Me” slows the album down once again. It’s a nice little number with nice vocals and solid vibe. They place in some backing vocals that go right along with the soaring guitars. It’s a tune to watch. “I Master” wraps up the main album with a descent tune that sounds like the bulk of the other tunes on the album. They add some flavor with a nice guitar solo which really grabs your attention. Overall the album is okay. I think some refining is needed as the vocals are super rough. Some of the album sounds odd and not well planned out however, the music is stellar. There are a couple of tracks that I was drawn to while a few I didn’t repeat very often. I believe in hearing this album that the band sounds better live. There were moments that I can see the band build upon.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Tracks to Watch:

Aint No Mystery, Next Flight, Gonna Try

Track List:

1. Sidewalker
2. Christian
3. Electric Valley
4. Aint No Mystery
5. Song About You
6. Window
7. Mountain Of Time
8. Next Flight
9. Gonna Try
10. They Are Me
11. I Master
12. Song About You (Radio Edit)
13. I Master (Radio Edit)

Website (s):  www.stonesoulfondation.com