Swedish blues-rock project DELTASTRAY is back with its second project, “Salted Wounds n Sugar Lies,” a personal and gritty album conceived and recorded by musician and composer Patrik Byström. In 10 cuts Byström combines the emotional tone of blues and the attitude and energy of classic hard rock.
There’s a strong concept underlying the album: the things that have hurt us can be the same things that bring us comfort. This theme permeates the album, with each song telling a tale of heartbreak, betrayal, disappointment and self-reflection.
“One Eye on the Exit” opens with expressive guitar work, solid drum and vocal lines that pack a lot of character. Songs such as “Gravel in My Boots” and “Smoky n Ragged” get very blue, and “Rust in My Halo” brings in more classic rock swagger.
An interesting feature of the album is the song “Hurricane in My Rearview” that slowly builds in energy and danceability until the chorus. In the meantime, “The Jukebox Prophet” dabbles in a playfully cynical, bluesy guitar style.
This is a very unpretentious record. The guitars are lived-in, the vocals are textured and the emotion is never contrived.
With velvety sadness of blues and bold, sometimes provocative, hard rock, “Salted Wounds n Sugar Lies” is a record that feels sensual, raw and really human.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4k7MpDGDd0J8mBU9zVnSmd?go=1&sp_cid=c312d5cceacbd423cc54c13ae5e0fbc2&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=mobile&si=f0e96681fa2d4cc3
