KAPOW! Chris Sprague starts things off with a pounding staccato roll of the drums, quickly joined in tandem by Frank on guitar showing off a masterful new guitar picking technique. “Batmobile” builds such intensity, it never lets go. In the tradition of the Ventures in Space, the instrumental features experimental special effects which become integral to the overall sound.

 

“Dragula” manages to sound upbeat and spooky at the same time, with its driving rhythm, insistent guitar riff, eerie sound effects, and some of the best pure rockin’ lead guitar you’ll ever hear. Their intuitive and yet close-knit playing is a revelation and proves once again why the Sprague Brothers rock ‘n’ roll better than anyone in the business today.

 

The brothers change pace with “Golden Sahara,” a languid ballad sung by Frank, featuring an ethereal melody and lovely choral harmonies by Chris. The music beautifully evokes a peaceful desert oasis at night, a sighing wind and shifting sands, water shimmering under a starry sky.

 

We don’t linger there for long, though. “Return of the Munsters” speeds us on a wild ride to the drag strip. Long in the Sprague Brothers’ repertoire but never recorded until now, the instrumental proves well worth the wait. Inventive and intricate, you’ll listen closely over and over again from start to finish – that is when you’re not up and dancing around the room to its incredibly catchy beat. As ever, Wichita Falls, Texas natives, Frank and Chris Sprague play with verve and passion and sincerity. Their unparalleled and at times uncanny musicianship and songwriting conjure up rock ‘n’ roll magic with every recording and 4 New Smashing Songs fills the bill, leaving you craving another round. Fans may expect much more from the dynamic duo in coming months, with a DVD set for 2009 as well as further album releases.

 

The Sprague Brothers’ work has wowed reviewers in Rolling Stone, Playboy, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and many other magazines and newspapers. They have appeared on CBS nationwide television and National Public Radio, and have performed live around the world, including several successful tours of Japan. Other albums available include, The Savage Sprague Brothers, Changing the World, One Chick at a Time, and The Song, on Wichita Falls Records, The Best of the EssBee CD’s Volumes One and Two on El Toro Records, and Let the Chicks fall Where they May and Forever and a Day, on Hightone Records.