HAUNT

Sometime
during this new millennium, quality rock with pop overtones (i.e.
catchy songs, lush harmonies, smart lyrics) went soft. Haunt’s overtly
uplifting The Deep North changes all that, reminding the
masses that it’s okay to turn up the volume and smile without losing
your dignity. Now for the surprise, Haunt is helmed by acclaimed
singer/songwriter Matt Hebert, who, in another life, was a gentle
alternative country artist. Hebert and his mighty mates (guitarist Bob
Hennessy, drummer Brian Marchese, bassist Thane Thomsen,
multi-instrumentalist Jose Ayerve plus a few backing vocalists and
percussion players) display a penchant for distorted guitars and a firm
back-beat that evokes favorable comparison to the more melodic of the
90s era alternative rock artists (think the best of Stone Temple
Pilots, Matthew Sweet with Robert Quine, solo Frank Black). Hebert
pours out the pathos in “Blood” a mid-tempo rocker which nearly
outlasts the singer’s voice. “The Sea and Soul” kicks off with a guitar
motif that would scare the bejesus out of Neil Young - then fades into
a vocal chorus that would bring tears to Brian Wilson. The girls will
swoon to the folksy “So Much Left To Lose” wherein Hebert waxes
romantic and then some. Hebert and Haunt make for the best that rock
‘n’ roll has to offer these days.