CHEROKEE – Wakan Tanka Nici Un

One minute twenty seconds into Wakan Tanka Nici Un, the new four song EP release from Cherokee, listeners might wonder if they accidently put on an early Thin Lizzy album. “Ethelred Hero of Trist” eases into the sound pool with a warm melodic intro before kicking into the classic galloping twin guitar and bass rhythm common to many great Lizzy tracks. Then the vocals arrive, and as Laura Vesprini’s rasp is unlikely to be confused with Phil Lynott’s mellow soul, and the listener knows they aren’t exclusively in Lizzy country anymore.

Vesprini belts it out with great emotion on the entire album, and she hits a good groove on the uptempo closer “Firewater”, but there are moments where her voice is thin or she’s not delivering with the confidence that she demonstrates in other passages. Possibly this stems from the band’s ability to replicate the Thin Lizzy sound so perfectly—on “The Yellow King”, axmen Simon Siantidis and Alexander Beda Maria Kleusc channel Jailbreak-era Robertson and Gorham in a way that is almost spooky. Or possibly it is a production issue—on their other release, the six-song live in the studio One Take, No Dubs, No Mix…, Vesprini nails the performance with equal power to the band.

Either way, whatever the soft spots Wakan Tanka Nici Un should not be overlooked. The musicianship is quite stellar; the rhythm section (a pair of Fabians; Kampa on skins and Albet Dey on bass guitar) moves with a fluid unhurried grace that allows the guitarists to weave a rich sonic tapestry over the top, and the songs themselves are artfully constructed and catchy; hopefully a full-length will follow.

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