Highway Patrol

Reviews

Highway Patrol In Tears cassette

This is the third full-length release from Germany’s HIGHWAY PATROL. Recorded live to tape, this somehow ended up sounding more produced than a majority of the recordings I get sent to write about. While that aspect is certainly impressive, beyond that, I’ll admit it, I just don’t get it. A self-proclaimed “country” and “wild rhythm ’n’ vodoo [sic] blues” band, a made-up genre name so bizarre it even comes with a glaring typo. Twelve tracks of sleepy, sing-song meandering with the occasional fuzzed-out solo. There is a very real possibility that I am just not the target audience for this music, although I do consider myself pretty versatile in my knowledge and tastes. If this band were a patrolled highway, I imagine the many crash reports would indicate “fell asleep at the wheel” as the cause for the crash, with the drivers having been lulled off to sleep by the lullabies found within.

Highway Patrol On a Sensual Ride LP

Just looking at the cover art and hearing the first few chords, I am almost certain there are going to be things I like about this record and things I really don’t like. The intro to the first song is taking too long, bordering on self-indulgence. Not a fan of that. On the other hand, I kind of like the soft female vocals. And now it’s starting to go sideways for me. It’s a little too bluesy and a little too 1973. The second cut sounds like a variation of the first cut. I feel like I should be sarcastically snapping my fingers and swaying my head from side to side. There are a couple of tracks that work for me, those with a more rocking or more country feel. Overall, it’s just not cutting it for me.