Before developing into a full-fledged band, The Mohrs started out as a writing project between lead singer Jackie Mohr and Canadian Rock legend Hawksley Workman. Mohr’s former outfit Living in Red caught the music industry’s attention after being featured on the CBC’s competition/reality television show Cover Me Canada, and while many aspiring musicians have lived and died on a TV series, Mohr left a lasting impression with her vocal talents and rock and roll sensibility that proved she was more than just another competitor. Workman helped guide the Winnipeg native and her band to their debut album Kings of Nowhere, a straight forward rock record that seems destined for commercial radio and lacks the depth to go anywhere else.
The discs eleven songs highlight Jackie Mohr’s impressive voice over a slew of rift heavy guitar tracks, and while standouts like “Perfectly Sane” and “Wouldn’t Call It Love” hint at the band’s ability to do something bigger, Kings of Nowhere never moves beyond the formulaic quality of radio rock. The lyrics hint at a world of boozing, drugs, and heartache, but lack any personal content that would give the tracks edge. The same can be said for the album’s standard verse-chorus-verse song structure, and while there is certainly a place in today’s music scene for straight up rock and roll (Ask Josh Homme) Kings of Nowhere offers a stagnant take on a tried formula.
Audiences that have caught the Mohrs terrific live performances know that the band is immensely talented and more than capable of engaging a crowd. Here’s hoping their next effort is able to take more of their live act to the recording.
