Big Head Todd and the Monsters – Her Way Out
Big Head Todd and the Monsters are releasing a new album this week, Her Way Out. This is their 12th studio release over their more than thirty years together. The album was produced by Big Head Todd & the Monsters; engineered and mixed by Jeremy Lawton; and mastered by Mark Fuller.
The title track was an early released single, and it launches into heartland rock guitar, “maybe it’s time to get a better guru,” and then the danceable refrain “she found her way out and it was me… now she’s fine… now she’s free,” and you can picture the heads bobbing and dancing in the festival like atmosphere of a BHTM show.
Next up, “Thunderbird” grabs you with a blues rock electric guitar line, power drums and a lot of keyboard action too that calls to your spirit to soar: “spread out your wings and fly.” Todd often pays direct homage to blues masters and foundational legends like Robert Johnson and this song reveals his baseline for that, as the rest of the album takes the ball and runs with it. Todd’s a high octane blues guitar master and the band falls right in line behind him.
“Crush” continues to tackle the heavy emotions and walking away from the breakup: “Heavy words broke my bones / Shuttered my heartbeat…/ Words so heavy they can’t crush me / Now I’m free / I don’t hear your voice no more,” and a nice and easy blues guitar solo comes in.
On “My New Number One” BHTM delivers a heavy blues rock intro into to the relationship world where everything eventually goes up in smoke: “In the end it doesn’t matter what you do, or what you don’t do
Sometimes you get burned.”
On “Into the Light” we explore the darkness some more, riding the waves of Todd’ songsmanship and the pounding of the message through instrumental tsunami waves again: “Rolling down the empty boulevard / You know my low lying friends ain’t going too far / The same cigarettes, same tired, ginned up 12 bar blues / Keeps the bar flies buzzing in.”
Multitudes of heavy cathartic emotions get released in white hot sonic lines and heartache lyrics all throughout this album. Todd has striking, distinctive vocals, and a solid loyal fans that follows him across the country and right onto his annual cruise too. The album, though, is more than just a gift to fans, it’s a rootsy American rock that ought to turn anyone on.
All songs written by Todd Park Mohr. Musicians on the album are Todd Park Mohr on vocals and guitar; Rob Squires on bass; Brian Nevin on drums; and Jeremy Lawton on keyboards, lap and pedal steel, guitar and backing vocals.
Enjoy our interviews of Todd here: Key to the Highway: Todd Park Mohr and here: Interview: Todd Park Mohr of Big Head Todd & the Monsters on Songwriting Ingredients, Cultural Cohesion, and Colorado Inspiration
Find more information and show dates here: https://www.bigheadtodd.com/