A so so album that's not likely to get too many panties wet

Not to be confused (but maybe to be sued by) the San Diego trio of the same name, this Humanimals quintet hail from Spain. With comic book cover art that is at the same time pretty cool and pretty tacky and with Jesus playing guitar (possibly not that one, but what the hey) they certainly conjure interest before the music is even heard, but is it warranted?

Well, the answer is never going to get better than "sort of", because Humanimals sow the seeds of an interesting future, but seeds aren't half as nice to look at as trees. They play low down and dirty Country Rock And Roll, with vocalist Neil Cooper rumbling away like that bloke from Creed with a cold. There's hints of the sort of thing the Georgia Satellites used to do so well, which isn't a bad thing, and just about enough to keep the listener interested. That said the fourteen tracks on offer might have been better off being pruned down to ten or eleven, as it's a bit of a struggle to listen all the way through in a single sitting without wondering what's for tea and have you left the gas on, if you see what I mean. There's a bit of a lack of passion as well, as if you can't imagine the band finishing a take and all shouting "HELL YEAH...WE NAILED THAT!"

As a band, Humanimals seen pretty tight, and there's a sprinkling of cool guitar to go along with some solid riffs. When they hit it right, like on the rather groovy 'Grains Of Sand' you can certainly see a promising future, but in general it's a so so album that's not likely to get too many panties wet.

Alan Holloway