Wolfmother

Considering that all three members of the Australian power trio Wolfmother are barely over the legal voting age, their homage to ‘70s hard rock is surprisingly authentic and heartfelt. Their self-titled debut album, following a couple of promising EPs, is rife with Black Sabbath riffage, Black Oak Arkansas boogie and the bare-chested lead singer histrionics that make a Robert Plant inspired lyric like “Woman/ You know that you’re a woman/ You got to be a woman / I got the feelin’ of love” sound completely at home. While the Led Zeppelin and Blue Cheer shadows loom large, Wolfmother manage to pull out their own variations on these primordial, blues-based themes by keeping their approach as pared down as their originators. The temptation might be there to expand on the basic palette; however, these boys intuitively understand the power of the riff. “Dimension,” “White Unicorn” and “Where Eagles Have Been” never dilute the winning formula. And when they do add a finishing touch, it’s the artlessly added Jethro Tull inspired flute solo of “Witchcraft.” At 13 tracks, the album is overlong, but with plenty to recommend.