3

When from the ashes of Thee Shams arose Buffalo Killers in late 2005/early 2006, the sound that emerged was one of heavy blues rock. In quick succession, Buffalo Killers released two albums, their 2006 self-titled album and 2008's Let It Ride. The band attracked quite a bit of attention, and the Black Crowes in particular loved them, taking them on tour a number of times as their opening band. Now, after what almost seems forever (in this day and age, 3 years does seem to feel like it), comes the highly anticipated third album from Buffalo Killers."3" (12 tracks; 44 min.) finds the band in a kinder, gentler mode compared to the first two albums. Mostly gone is the heavy blues sound reminiscent from the 60s, and instead we get a softer sound, reminding me of the early 70s, say the James Gang. It is immediately clear in the opening track "Huma Bird", but after a couple of similar tracks, it becomes even more apparent in track 4 "Spend My Last Breath", which is then followed by several more laid-back but intricate tracks such as "Lily of the Valley" and "Jon Jacob". The Cincinnati-based band gets an assist from several other Cincinnati artists, including Brian Olive (who has just himself released a great second album). Funny thing is, this band sounds nothing like Cincinnati, but rather from the West Coast ear-60s/70s.In all, the songs flow nicely from one to the next. It's hard to pinpoint highlights as such as this collection is clearly an "album", rather than just a collection of songs. I've seen the band many, many times in the last 5 years, and recently saw them at their "CD release" party/gig here in Cincinnati, where they played many of the songs from this album. I will tell you that the concert experience of Buffalo Killers will always be better than the studio experience, as live the songs from "3" (and from their previous albums) sounds heavier and rock harder. Meanwhile, "3" is a nice evolution and addition to the BK catalog.

Great CD with a serious late 60/s early 70/s feel to it. Love these guys. This is where music should have gone in the early 70's.

Listen to the samples! These guys are great!! Great southern style 70's rock. All the songs are catchy, this one spins very frequently in my player!!

What a great album, I mean damn what a great album! Haven't taken it out of my CD player yet and it's gonna stay there for a while too! What a great band, I mean damn what a great band!

You wouldn't be alone in thinking this Cincinnati band's third album was a long-lost James Gang platter. Not only is the band a power trio, but the vocals have the same keening tone Joe Walsh brought to "Walk Away," and the band's rhythm section finds the sorts of grooves once laid down in "Funk #49." All of which isn't meant to suggest that the Buffalo Killers are a carbon copy, but that their music is anchored unapologetically in the rock (not rock `n' roll) music of the post-Woodstock `60s and pre-punk `70s. It's the moment just before rock music became bloated and faced a DIY backlash, a time when the hangover from psychedelia, thick guitars, heavy bass, instrumental prowess and production craft hadn't fallen into self-seriousness and arena bombast. A similar strain of rock emerged in the mid-90s, but egos and self-consciousness quickly overwhelmed the music; the Buffalo Killers avoid these pitfalls by remaining relatively unknown (and thus not fashionable), and more importantly, more interested in music than congratulations. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

The 3rd album from Cincinnati, Ohio's Buffalo Killers is a distillation of much that was good about the chilled-out vibe of 60s/70s West Coast psychedelic/Americana classic rock--complete with harmonies, rolling country twang, subtle guitars & laid-back, trippy melodies. Add a pure Lennon/McCartney acid tab, and the songs begin to ring. Every song sounds like a mellow-ish classic rock radio hit; you'd swear that you've heard it before, yet there's no sense of copycat repetition--it's all fresh, pure, natural sounding. This is not "cool kid" indie rock. This is quality, "don't give a crap, `cause we're just doin' what comes naturally" country-tinged classic rock `n' roll. Not really an attention grabber, but a comfortable companion who will be there for the long run. Sit back, dust off the glass pipe, find the dream zone. Former members of Thee Shams. Reminiscent of bands like the James Gang, Traffic, Grateful Dead, Crazy Horse, Beatles, Buffalo Springfield, Moby Grape, Doobie Brothers, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Old Californio.