Sweet Trade

Improving on their stellar debut, the Poodles have served up an even better batch of songs this time around. The songwriting is just terrific -- From the fist pounding opening track to the AC/DC like Thunderball, this band pulls out all of the stops to make this a stellar overall album. And Samuel turns in the best vocal performances of his career. He's often compared to Axl Rose, and while his delivery is similar in the upper and lower registers, Samuel actually has more control and really shines in the mid-range stuff where he spends most of his time. He's at his best usually in the last minute of the song when he breaks away from the established vocal melody and just starts freestyling. He's become such a seasoned pro that when he gets caught up in the song and just starts improvising he makes the song even better. Norgren's guitar playing is awesome. All the little flourishes in just the right places and the sound is great. They really did everything right and I bet their next one is going to be even better! The Poodles rock. --Scott