Virtue and Vice - Hornbuckle - New release Review

I just received the newest release, Virtue & Vice from Hornbuckle and it's an interesting, danceable, pop release with a solid mix and a bit of funk. Opening with Done Fooling Around, a slick sophisticated pop track with a really nice driving guitar vamp by Michael Hornbuckle and vocal harmonies with Briam Hornbucke. Alexander "Ace" Baker handles keys and excellent drumming from Lance Crane. Next up is Complicated, a reggae rhythm and a spoken rhythmic lead vocal. Very well written and again almost perfect guitar placement makes this funky reggae track very memorable. '59 Pontiac Hearse has a jazz/rock rhythm, again very lively and happy. A sprite guitar solo taking a wild turn in this track again is meticulously executed. Slave To The Benjamins has a new wave beat, somewhat like Blondie's Rapture. A nice bass intro from Brian and cool key work from Ace are prime on this track. Blue Note is a bluesy ballad with rich key work supporting strong vocals from Michael. A really sweet piano solo by Ace on this track is the standout. Lip has a country rock beat but with clean pop lyrics more of a mainstream track. Michael shows his knowledge of country style with a flashy country style guitar solo. Kathleen has a pure pop sound with only easy guitar and organ with simple handclap and harmony. Cool gospel pop like track. Ride Away is a straight out pop rocker with a little bit of bite and almost Mickey Thomas sound. Birds of a Feather has a bit of 80's flare with well placed vocals and well rounded instrumentals. One Foot In The Grave has a soft approach with vocal domination over light keys and percussion. With a bit of a ethereal feel the guitar work on this track is merely a cloud. Angels, Addicts, Poets and Thieves has a theatrical feel with an interesting guitar driven romp behind progressive key work and altered guitar riffs. Bad Company like vocals define the track. This track does break open shortly before the end with a very cool guitar solo. Moment In Time has a light "Smooth" Latin feel with acoustic guitars and nicely blended vocals. Santana like guitar riffs cap the track on the climax of the chorus. Remorse is a simple ballad and possibly one of the nicest tracks on the release. Acoustic guitar and vocal...simple as it gets. Knife In Your Hand is a romping rocker again with a Paul Rogers sound but with a little bit of a country rock feel. Brian lays out a pretty strong bass line on this track dictating the beat and Lance is tight and crisp on drums. Beautiful Rain is another poppy track with an almost Justin Timberlake feel. Solid dance track with smooth vocals and firm bottom. Virtue and Vice has that Delaney and Bonnie kind of feel but with a bit more polish. Hornbuckle has an excellent voice and Baker knows exactly how to compliment and when to take over. Michael again steps up with a clean and well articulated guitar solo on this track. If you like your music silky smooth and slick as silk... this may be your ticket. These guys are "tops" at what they do.

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