Band : Lick And A Promise
Album title : Come Together In The Morning
Label : Frontside Productions (Own release)
Distributor : /
Release date : 01/12/2010
Release : CD

Here's a weird but utterly enjoyable bunch, originally started as a studio project in 2005 by singer Jochen W. Thoma and guitarist/ backing singer Manuel Elsesser. Based in the vicinity of Frankfurt, the duo struggled with a few producers over artistic preferences, and then decided to take things in their own hands and produce their debut album A Bitch Is A Bitch.

They recruited a local bassist and drummer (Alex Conradi and Fridl Geiger respectively) to complete the band, and in early 2006 started the recording sessions, aided out on second guitar & additional backing vocals by one Donny Vox), and released the album later the same year. This resulted in positive review in national printed magazines and online webzines worldwide, the album's getting Internet radio airplay on several stations, and the band reaching the German finals of the international Bodog Battle band contest. In late 2008 came a line-up change, introducing versatile drummer Ulie Bieber and organ/ bass player Volker Thoma. The new unit returned to the local live circuit in early 2009 with a handful of new acoustic songs, some of which instantly made airplay on a local radio station near their hometown, and later the same year LAAP started touring Germany in support of their new acoustic EP.

This second full-length was recorded during Summer 2010, and comprises both acoustic and electric Rock songs, occasionally enhanced by saxophone (courtesy of one Thomas Geiger), harmonica (Peter Voll) and/ or trumpet and trombone (Willi Thoma – hum, a third party with that name...starts to look like a family affair, don't it?). Still, the acoustic tracks are in clear dominance, with only 3 of the 12 songs getting electric guitar thrown in (and one of those being predominantly acoustic anyway). Nevertheless, there's a very uniform feel about the material, bound together by the lead singer's somewhat nasal and moaning vocal stylings. There's moments (first in the electric track “The Highway”, but also in the acoustic “Loser And A Fool” and the semi-acoustic “Sometime”, which also gets backings from the horns) where he the combination of composition and singing makes for a reminiscence to Black Crowes, and two instances (“Pale White” and the album closing “Places Of the Soul”) where an introduction of some psychedelic elements in the acoustics make for a reminiscence to Led Zeppelin. In other words, what you get here is a very strong album, in spite of its being mostly acoustic!

Around the release date, the band launched a first West Coast tour in the US, not forgetting to put in shows at those famed venues known as The Viper Room and House Of Blues on Hollywood's Sunset Strip. A second live promotion tour will be done during springtime, with the band playing gigs at selected German venues, followed by festival appearances during the Summer's season. Those among you who feel enticed by the description above, but can't get to Germany, or cannot wait to make their acquaintance with the band until such a happy event, should by all means check out the couple of songs (and video) posted at (www.) myspace.com/lickandapromise. Oh...before I forget...the album comes in a nice professionally packaged CD, but is also available as a double vinyl album (comprising 2 bonus tracks). In other words, vinyl junkies' galore!!!

90/100

Tony.