Review by Rachel Jablonski
Carry on my wayward son give me three steps give me three steps mister revolution is my name and we die young... a wave of familiar classics run through my head. Listening to the sophomore release, Temptation Come My Way, from Tennessee’s The Showdown is almost like listening to watered down versions of old favorites with a southern rock twist. Straight up rock with much distortion, rhythmic guitar pulses, and the frequent guitar solo, throw in some cowbell and Southern based lyrics and there you have it.
You with the bible belt buckle… the album lyrics begin, accompanied by a heavy riff and some typical Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!s. The vocal catchiness continues in tracks like “Six Feet Under” over thick guitars and some cowbell to close the track. But more reminiscent lyrical patterns are significantly triggered throughout the album.
Give me two and three steps mister and I’ll be long gone say the lyrics in “Forget My Name” immediately indicating a similarity to Lynard Skynard’s “Gimme Three Steps.” The slower tempo, bluesy title track strangely has a very slight, watered down taste of “Revolution is My Name” by Pantera. “We Die Young” screams Alice in Chains solely in song title, the track itself rather poppy with higher vocal harmonies. “Head Down” begins with an almost Def Leopard feel and transitions into a sound similar to that of a 3 Doors Down type vibe, a band also produced by Paul Ebersold (The Showdown, 3 Doors Down, Saliva). There is, however, one track on the album, Kansas’ “Carry on Wayward Son,” that was deliberately a cover, but the track lacks conviction in attempting to be a carbon copy of the classic tune.