nyone who heard this record, with no knowledge of when it was recorded, would have a difficult time dating it to 2003. You could pick up on at least some modern production techniques on many retro guitar albums. Voice of Treason isn’t one of these. This isn’t a modern update of old soul/blues-rock favourites, it’s a passionate but faithful homage. The ‘Brothers may be best known for their long term alliance with the White Stripes, but they are closer in spirit to straight-ahead revivalists like the Black Keys.

The Soledad Brothers have a charm that the Keys lack, though. Play the intro to “The Elucidator” for evidence of this. “People are always asking me about honesty and integrity / and what it means to be a Soledad Brother / And for every question / there is an answer!” growls lead singer Johnny Walker. Instead of sounding self-important, the effect is endearingly comic. Whether this is intentional or not is up for debate, but it certainly makes the song’s heads-down boogie more palatable.

Musically though, this is a pretty uninspired piece of work. Unimaginative recycling of old blues riffs, functional Rolling Stones rock – you know what to expect. But The Soledad Brothers do have enough personality and energy to make what would have been a depressing listen into something that occasionally approaches being an enjoyable one. “Sights Unseen” is another triumph of passion over real musical quality – Walker and guitarist Oliver Henry enthusiastically spelling out “S-O-L-E-D-A-D” over some no-more-than-passable garage-blues.

There are a couple of moments that suggest the Brothers may yet develop musically as well (although this is the third album of a career that began in 1998). “Lay Down This World” is a fiery re-interpretation of a traditional arrangement, with some excellent gospel-influenced call-and-responses. The quieter, more reflective numbers provide further highlights: “Only Flower in My Bed” is a touching ballad, with some nice Velvets-style organ. Closer “Lorali” actually sounds mysterious – Henry’s slide guitar draping itself mellifluously around Walker’s pretty acoustic melody.

No amount of passion can disguise the mediocrity of some of the songs on here though, and ultimately that’s the problem. Tracks like “Cage that Tiger” and “Lowdown Streamline” are utterly unremarkable pseudo-soul-rock workouts, and with such forgettable frug making up the majority of the album it was always going to be hard for a band this thin on ideas to hold our interest over the course of 13 songs.

If you find the arrival of numerous hoary blues-rock revivalists, all in the wake and shadow of The White Stripes, to be the most exciting musical development of recent years, then there’s probably enough on Voice Of Treason to make your palms sweaty. Some people aren’t so easily pleased though.