Space Apaches ‘Smokin’ Voyages’ Review: Classic Rock Revisited

If you grew up in the late ‘80s and early ’90s, the Space Apaches “Smoking’ Voyages” will make you feel you woke up in the middle of your childhood. Solid classic rock sounds with some country, alternative and even bluegrass vibes make for a smorgasbord of awesome sounds that again, will remind you of a simpler time in music where a great lick could fuel a track.

While the covers “Just Dropped In” and a gothic rendition of “Ghost Riders in the Sky” are testaments to the band’s versatility, it’s the other tracks on the album that showcase the band’s ability to “play” with their sound.

“Sunrise” has a cool Screaming Trees vibe to it that any fan of ‘90s rock can quickly grab on to. Although the lyrics aren’t anything special, more cliche than eccentric, Jim Arrendell’s solid drum work throughout stars, with Andrew Reed and Tom Leiner’s guitars cascading nicely off of one another. In the end, it’s a mellow track perfect for winding down your day.

“In My Mind” has an awesome Bon Jovi “Dead or Alive” feel and the type of pulse-pounding pace that would have made it perfect on an episode of Sons of Anarchy. While it suffers again from a lack of a real infectious hook, the musicianship, from Rob Geisler’s awesome bass line to more of the same solid work from Reed, Leiner and Arrendell make it a special one.

The standout song on the album has to be “I’m On My Way to Feelin’ Fine” though. With the Warren Zevon meets Steely Dan feel, it’ll have you tapping you feet together right from the start. The addition of the backup singers, catchy piano work from Andrew Price and some of the best lyrics on the record make it something pulled out a southern saloon decades ago.

The fact that all of the members of this band have been in the studio for decades adds a depth to their sound and the album. Clocking in at 13 tracks, most of which are over four minutes, the Space Apaches’ “Smoking’ Voyages’ is a beefy collection of tracks. From country-toned ballads to classic rock and bluegrass, there’s something for every ear here.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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