Powderfinger
From page 81 of Classic Rock Magazine December 2003
‘Vulture Street’ (V2)
As ‘Vulture Street’ explodes out of the speakers in a blast of retro cool, the instant comparison one makes is to figure that this could easily be a new album from labelmates The Black Crowes, so similar is the vocal phrasing between Powderfinger’s Bernard Fanning and The Crows’ Chris Robinson.
That in itself seems rather odd, as, if memory serves me well, The Black Crowes weren’t exactly the frst name to
spring to mind on listening to Powderfinger’s last album, 2001’s decent ‘Odyssey Number Five’.
For the uninitiated, Powderfinger are one of Australia’s biggest rock acts. You could also say they’re one of Oz’s ‘best- kept secrets’; as with many big-down- under acts, they have consistently failed to make their presence felt either in the US or the UK.
‘Vulture Street’ shows that that state of affairs is not exactly their fault.
Powerful, melodic rock in a classic vein, it’s a fine, foot-tapping, head-nodding record, even if it does lack that something extra to set Powderfinger apart from the crowd. While all eyes are currently following The Vines and The Jets, Powderfinger strike the ball cleanly enough, it’s just that the goalposts continue to be just out of their reach.
★★★ ★★
Jerry Ewing


