Arc Angels – Arc Angels …album review

I started to listen to this album on a recommendation, and I was totally impressed. I started off with one song, but the hell with that, I went on to the complete album. Great rock and roll band with killer riffs and tones. Also, being produced by an E Street Band member doesn’t hurt either! Steven Van Zandt produced this album, and that right there is huge. Also, on keyboards, you have the Small Faces and Faces keyboard player, Ian McLagan. McLagan helped out on this recording, and he sounds great. They walk the line between rock, hard rock, blues, and even throw some funk in there in places. Great musicians on this album, and there is a reason for that.

The band formed right after the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon, the backbone of Double Trouble (SRV’s backing band), found themselves without a frontman after Stevie’s passing in 1990. Instead of leaving the stage, they teamed up with two Austin guitarist-vocalists: Doyle Bramhall II and Charlie Sexton. Both were young, rising Texas guitar players with deep musical pedigrees. The name “Arc Angels” referenced the Austin Rehearsal Complex. Although the album was born out of Stevie Ray’s backing band, it sounded different and moved ahead. 

The album was recorded in Austin and at Ardent Studios in Memphis (Big Star, The Replacements), and it blended blues, alt-rock edges, and soulful songwriting. Throughout the record, Layton and Shannon play like a unit that has lived many lifetimes together, heavy but never heavy-handed. They aren’t just holding down rhythm, they’re pushing the music forward. Doyle Bramhall II, Charlie Sexton, Chris Layton, and Shannon did most of the writing, along with help from Tonio K. 

The opening song is Living In A Dream, and it’s bold and in your face, as the rest of the album is. The second song is Paradise Cafe, which is probably my favorite off the album. That guitar is raunchy as hell, and I love it. They did include a song they wrote in memory of their friend Vaughan called See What Tomorrow Brings. The track Good Times has some cool funk and blues to it. If you have some time, check this album ou.t. I think you will like it. The critical reaction was good for this album, but it got lost in the grunge shuffle that was going on at the time, unfortunately. 

 For anyone who loves Texas blues with bite, this is a great place to start. 

Living In A Dream

If you were mineI’d give you all the worldIf you were mineI’d take you higher girlBut you got me waitingOoh, you’re so coldIt kills me timeOoh and time is all we needBut god knows I’ve tried, I’ve triedTo get you close to me

But tonight when my eyes are closingYou’ll be with me

Just let me beAnd let me believe, you’re mineCause there’s nothin’ wrong hereI’m just livin’Livin’ in a dream

Without a signYou brought me to my kneesWithout a sign,I crossed the lineI beg for sleep

But tonight when my eyes are closin’You will be with me

Just let me beAnd let me believe, you’re mineJust let me beAnd let me believe, you’re mineCause there’s nothin’ wrong hereI’m just livin’Livin’ in a dream

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

40 thoughts on “Arc Angels – Arc Angels …album review”

  4. Pingback: Arc Angels – Arc Angels …album review – MobsterTiger

  5. I have this CD downstairs on my shelf as well. Charlie Sexton was kind of a teen heartthrob for a second w/ his song “Beat’s so lonely” (decent tune btw). I’m gonna go pull this album off the shelf & revisit it. Was just recently listening to SRV, “Texas Flood”…U are missed & appreciated Mr Stevie Ray. Thx for cool post Max.

    Bubba

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      1. In case anyone might be interested I’ll be doing my radio show tmw, Monday from 12 Noon til at least 5:00 here on local non-profit cyber radio station, MakerParkRadio.NYC. DJ Bubba Guitar – “Spanning Time”, smorgasbord of music: New & old, hard & soft, Rock/funk/punk/soul, Xmas tidings and 2025 songs. My usual total mish-mosh, lol…

        Can listen via the website, or download the free Makerparkradio app or thru smart speaker etc etc…Thx, take care all, have a great week.

        Bubba

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  6. Never knew there was a hidden meaning to ‘Arc’ . I remember when this came out there was lots of critical buzz about it & the rock station in Toronto pushed it to the hilt but it soon seemed to fizzle entirely. I kind of placed them in a box of ‘revivalists’ if you will with the Black Crowes & Georgia Satellites. I think of the 3, I liked the Crowes best.

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    1. I completely missed this Dave when it came out. The album surprised me on how good it was…well the reason I think it didn’t get played was grunge…which even the Black Crowes didn’t do that well like their debut when grunge kicked in…

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      1. another example of local radio having influence even into the ’90s …even though they were closer to local to you than me in Ontario, but seems like one of those where some radio stations really jumped on board and others ignored it entirely

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      1. You know, it’s funny, I kind of knew the Double Trouble guys started a new group after SRV’s death. As such, chances are I previously saw the name Arch Angels but cheerfully forgot about it again!😆

        Apparently, Arch Angels are still active. Since they haven’t released any new album since 2009’s live album “Living in a Dream,” I assume they have continued as a touring act.

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      4. Here is what I found:
        Yes, the Arc Angels are still together and playing shows, though their touring is sporadic. The band reunited in 2022 after original bassist Tommy Shannon retired, with Eric Holden stepping in to take his place. They have continued to play occasional concerts since then, but they don’t have a regular touring schedule.

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    2. Charlie sings Paradise Cafe. I didn’t even realize that they both sang on the song you shared today. Most of the songs one or the other takes the lead. I actually think these two guys were too big to fit in one band. That may be why it only lasted a short time.

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  14. Max, THANK YOU for reviewing Arc Angels album. Thrilled you shared that live performance. They look so different than they do now. Doyle wore that same necklace with a crushed velvet shirt the first time I saw him, where he was playing David Gilmour’s part in Roger Waters’ tour, “In the Flesh: Live” released in 2000. I had no idea that they were Double Trouble after SRV passed plus Doyle and Charlie. I just know I love this album (and anything Doyle Bramhall II.)

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    1. I didn’t know much about them at all! The other people here including you knew more about them than I did. I love their sound though and with Doyle and Charlie….they are downright nasty in a great way.
      Stevie Van Zandt and my guy Ian McLagan…I had no clue they were involved with this.

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  15. With that lineup in the band, what could go wrong…nothing. Good Lord, what a sound. I heard of them a long time ago, and knew Doyle back in the day. Recording in Memphis was a good idea. Sounds like they did it in Muscle Shoals. The name alone would make any Christian rocker buy the album. Stevie is like Saint Willie here in Texas. I hear Pope Leo may make them official Saints of Music.

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