Change of Pace is an accurate title for the third album by Austin-based retro duo
the Greyhounds. While
Anthony Farrell and
Andrew Trube haven't thrown in the towel on their '60s infatuation, they have indeed dialed back the noisier, bluesier elements of their music -- the very things that made them seem like cousins to
the Black Keys. In their place is an elastic groove that is sometimes underpinned by circular drum loops, bringing this within the vicinity of
G. Love & Special Sauce. Ultimately existing in a realm far away from those blues bros,
the Greyhounds love both the sound and songs of classic soul, so Change of Pace winds up as a salute to both the feel and the form. Occasionally, mood may trump melody but that's more a feature than a bug -- that tendency helps give Change of Pace a warm, weathered coziness that's catnip to anybody who loves classic Memphis soul and Southern rock as much as this duo. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine