Ken Layne and the Corvids' debut - "Fought Down" (Scrub Jay, 3 stars) - is alt-country with a strong straight rock influence, resembling Son Volt without the mannered touches or the more laid-back moments of Drive-By Truckers. The highlights - "Like [+]Ken Layne and the Corvids' debut - "Fought Down" (Scrub Jay, 3 stars) - is alt-country with a strong straight rock influence, resembling Son Volt without the mannered touches or the more laid-back moments of Drive-By Truckers. The highlights - "Like a Train" and the title track - suggest a post-punk update of the Stones' early '70s honky-tonk rock moments. Layne's singing voice is in that rough hewn alt-style, not a perfect-pitch experience but not deliberately loose, and emotional enough to compete with the ringing guitars. Similarly, Layne's lyrics are basic but effective: When he gets more abstract on "Glitter On" and "Mama, Take Another Stand," it shows yet another side he and the Corvids can explore as they continue.
- Mark Earnest
Reno Gazette Journal
With grit and swagger, not unlike the Rolling Stones of the early '70s, Ken Layne & The Corvids play great rock 'n' roll. Glen Reynolds of msnbc.com says it best, "It sounds the way Exile On Main Street would sound if it were recorded in the 21st Century, by guys who weren't already millionaires but who really liked to sing and play." Layne's whiskey soaked voice is kept warm by a blanket of crunchy guitar, and slightly drawled by the Southern-rock vibe that fuels these songs about hard livin' and drinkin'. "Lincoln Town Car" plows a dark trail that reflects the opening lyric - "I was run down, sad, drunk" - to a tee. The closing line of the same song says a lot about the rest of this solid collection, "I'm wasted out my head." This is hard honky-tonk for the punk rocker in you. (Scrub Jay Records)
- Miles of Music
So, how is Fought Down? Real good. This is raw-edged, ramshackle alt-country with a busted taillight. "Worried" is one of the catchiest singles I've heard this year, a perfect selection to play on the you-just-got-jilted-jukebox.
- Tony Peyser
Santa Monica Mirror
If you hunger for real rock 'n' roll -- the kind of music that practically smells of stale beer and leather jackets and overfilled ashtrays, the sort of songs that sound best while rolling down the highway with the windows down -- then Ken Layne & the Corvids more than fit the bill.
- Jim Trageser
North County Times (San Diego)
A few of the adjectives that come to mind: boozy, dirty, gritty, smoky, drunken,
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