Maybe what the band's name insinuates is that this is what a bull hears when it's dreaming? With a smoothly-blended cocktail of blues, soul, gospel and good old rock-n-roll, Dreaming Bull's self-titled album is a fresh breath of dimly-lit, drunken, late night bar air. Track by track, even a musical prophet cannot predict what twist of sounds the duo will take on next.
The daunting duo consists of Gabe Rowland from Los Angeles and Nic Cappelle from Western Austrailia. The two met when Gabe's band was opening for Nic's, where they found a mutual interest in old-school, bluesy rock. Over the course of six months or so, they shared music ideas over email until they finally established themselves as Dreaming Bull. Nic does the soul-piercing lead vocals and Gabe shreds the drums. All of their recording, writing, promos, videos and branding is done by themselves.
A few of their songs have been used in shows such as Suits and Sons of Anarchy, and in ads for Carls Jr. and X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Right off the bat, the first track, 'Lover Street', delivers a high-tempo tune of rock-n-rock soul. We're introduced to Nic's angelic yet gritty blues/soul singing, accompanied by the rhythmic drums and guitar.
It's the second track, 'Hippie Hobo', where you begin to get lost in whatever exactly it is you're listening to. The band flaunts their funky approach with groovy bass guitar plucking and Nic's full-hearted, deep-chested singing. Then right when you think you've got the song figured it out, they outburst in a rocking blend that paints a scene of an old-west saloon. The duality in style of the song goes back and forth and keeps you on your toes and feeling the flow.
Skipping ahead to 'Bull Be Coming', the fourth track, Nic shows off the gospel skills of his vocal cords. They even throw in an organ to add to the vibe.
Over the course of the duo's debut album, they perfectly blend and alternate their dynamic styles, which take you on a roller coaster traveling at suddenly changing speeds through different scenes of past times. The hypnotizing alternation and concoction of blues, funk and rock on 'Boogaloo' make it my favorite track of the masterpiece.
Being on different parts of the globe couldn't stop fate from bringing these two together to give birth to the funky rock-n-roll bluesy gospel jamming of Dreaming Bulls. Especially for being their first album release together, they did good.