Somebody’s Darling with The Whiskey Shambles

It’s hard to stand out in the crowded Blues/Roots Rock field but Dallas-based Somebody’s Darling is a stacked deck of secret weapons.

The visceral ’70s-to-today guitar pyrotechnics of David Ponder, the massive keyboard groove of Michael Talley, the velvet jackhammer rhythm section of bassist Wade Cofer and drummer Nate Wedan, and the smoke-and-whiskey-cured vocals of Amber Farris combine to create a blistering Blues sound that is reassuringly familiar and yet fascinatingly singular. Although Farris, who also plays electric and acoustic guitars, generates plenty of fair comparisons to Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi and Heartless Bastards’ Erika Wennerstrom (and maybe even a little Natalie Merchant in a rare quiet moment), she and Somebody’s Darling may align closest to Grace Potter and the Nocturnals by virtue of the slinky dynamism and mesmerizing power they both effortlessly exhibit.

Somebody’s Darling began about seven years ago with Farris in front and a slightly altered lineup behind her. The quintet’s potential was certainly hinted at with its eponymous and more Country-colored 2010 debut but the group quickly gelled into a formidable unit with the current lineup, which cranked out the impressive Jank City Shakedown in 2012 and the shiver-inducing Adult Roommates last fall.

Farris and Ponder had been the primary songwriters from the start, but with Adult Roommates Talley threw his compositional talents into the mix. Given the results, he may have been the perfect counterpoint and missing ingredient. One spin through full-frontal crankers like “Generator” and smoldering jaunts like “End of The Line” from Adult Roommates, it’s not the least bit difficult to see why the band has become one of the biggest draws in the Dallas scene.