King of the Tramps is an original roots-rock group from Auburn, Iowa, whose sound calls upon influences from rhythm n’ blues and country rock. The group cites The Band, Little Feat and the Allman Brothers among their primary influences. There are nine tracks here and the overall vibe is one of flowing, loose workouts with plenty of gritty character in the vocal delivery of Todd Partridge, the guitar playing of Justin Snyder and the keyboards of Adam Audleheim.
This is the third release from the band and the impressive War has a fine duelling guitar work out. Wandering Kind shows the band playing an acoustic, reflective song that builds-up to an ode to the road. The slow strum of Deadman continues the change of pace and Cowboy Boots follows in a similar vein with some expressive guitar work. Joyful Noise brings the recording to a swinging conclusion with advice to celebrate life as ‘one of these days you’re gonna wake up dead’.