Slick: Strong Enough EP Review

Merging an ample musical survey in the style of 1970s rock with the effortless speed of late ‘70s punk, Slick step forward on their debut EP as a young band with an intriguing sound. Captivating for the Spanish trio’s technical prowess and genre sampling, Strong Enough uses each of its six tracks to experiment with rock, blues and funk over brisk tempos and skilled studio mixing. While Strong Enough might not jive with traditional blues fans, it has the speed and genre meshing appealing to many listeners interested in modern blues adaptations.

The EP launches with “Strong Enough,” Slick’s title track and first official single. With this song, the name says it all – arriving as the most powerful track on the EP, “Strong Enough” starts with a rapid guitar riff and takes off from there. “What Are You Waiting For?” is similarly notable for its rollicking beat and potent guitar solo. While the rhythms and wah-wah pedal effects of tracks like “Ah Ah (Don’t Let Me Talk)” and “When the Others Had Gone” principally reveal the band’s funk influences, “What Are You Waiting For?” exists as a contemporary blues track that embodies the attitude and vibe emanated by many of today’s emerging blues artists.

Based in Zaragoza, Spain, Slick collaborated with producers Ramiro Nieto and Marti Perarnau at Madrid’s Lower Side Studios for their first time in the studio last fall, an experience that soon came to fruition in Strong Enough. The trio’s official music video for “Strong Enough” was revealed in early April prior to the April 17, 2013 EP release. Though Slick’s debut EP is not a hard and fast blues rock record, the blues-influenced chords and tempos mixed into the trio’s genre concoction show the breadth of their influences and the pleasure they find in performing their music.

The Review: 7/10

The Big Hit

– Strong Enough

Review by Meghan Roos