POP MUSIC REVIEW : Liquid Jesus in ‘70s Time Frame

If the ‘70s can come back strong in the Black Crowes’ Stones-rock and Deee-Lite’s disco, can Liquid Jesus’ blues-rock be far behind?

The L.A. band hit the darkened Roxy stage Wednesday with long hair whipping and arms raised, generating the portentous buzz that used to precede shows in the days when rock stars were gods. When the lights came up, there was an intense little biker of a lead singer, and a guitarist who looked like Robert Plant--blond ringlets, Moroccan vest and all.

The music was out of the same time frame: chopping, churning riffs and squealing leads from the guitar tandem, uniformly strong but inexpressive wailing by the scowling Buck Murphy. Nods to the ‘90s included stage diving and some hammering beats unimagined in the Black Oak Arkansas era (most notably the ones driven home by John Molo’s impossibly fast kick-drum).

Liquid Jesus’ recent years of rock-club toil and an independent live album have built the band a following, and the quintet played well off the Roxy crowd’s energy as it marked the release of its major-label debut album, “Pour in the Sky.”

The trouble is, this sound is as narrow now as it was when the blues bands roamed the plains. Liquid Jesus doesn’t have the similarly inclined Cult’s panache, and the song craft that makes “Pour in the Sky” at least interesting was buried in the frantic action. There might be an intriguing personality in here somewhere, but Liquid Jesus needs to work through its gimmickry to let it out.