Justusworx delivers barreling blues rock on new album

Published 12:15 am Thursday, January 16, 2020

“River of Lost Souls,” Justusworx

Self-released

Long-running Bend blues rock combo Justusworx delivers fiery guitar playing and barreling rhythms on “River of Lost Souls,” its first full-length studio album and second release overall. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, this band was known as Justus until late last year, when the five-piece changed its name “due to a surprisingly large number of other bands also called Justus,” per the Facebook event page for the album release show Saturday at River’s Place.

Featuring re-recorded versions of songs from the band’s 2014, self-titled EP, as well as new songs and a cover of Kenny Loggins’ “You Could Break My Heart,” “River of Lost Souls” stays in a comfortable, classic-sounding groove throughout. Most of these songs coast along at midtempo, emphasizing the power in drummer Charlie Ewing’s hits and bassist Ed Criss’ lines. “High Class Woman” and “Lies” — the one-two punch that opens the record — set the bluesy, boogie-laden template early on, with only slight deviations to follow.

Guitarist/songwriter Mike Ogden and vocalist/lyricist Bud Munson deliver the album’s standout performances. Ogden is one hotshot guitar player, as evidenced by his speedy trills and soloing on the album’s centerpieces, “Honey Bee” and the psychedelic-leaning “Dreams.” Munson, who got his start in hard rock, shows off these roots via muscular delivery on the aforementioned “High Class Woman,” “Get it Right” and “Love’s Gonna.” Everyone gets a chance to shine, however, including keyboardist Mike Ayers, whose organ playing lights up songs such as “Truth to Power,” and Criss, who puts his seven-string bass to good use on several solos throughout.

The sameness in sound and tempo eventually wears the album down. Many tracks break the six- or seven-minute mark, and would benefit from losing two or three minutes of fat.

But at its best, the band delivers some interesting wrinkles on its barroom blues rock sound. “Truth to Power” resembles a ’60s protest rock song, from the insistent beat to the bile-filled attacks on corporate greed in the lyrics; while “Down” is a slow burn that ends with a pensive instrumental section.

Justusworx CD release party: 7 p.m. Saturday; free; River’s Place, 787 NE Purcell Blvd., Bend; riversplacebend.com.