AMG Review of Shazam

Doug Stone
All Music Guide

Right away in "Let's Away" listeners know the Shazam hear the Move's grass grow. The second track, "Oh No," starts up with Cheap Trick, but then this Tennessee trio hits a peculiar stride. Sure, "Hooray for Me" gives a Sweet wink and the rockin' "Rollercoaster" comes down helter-skelter, but the boys also run off into the Greenberry Woods to conjure the real hot Not Lame stable (where the Shazam now reside). The Shazam even play "Deep Low" with the Outfield's "Nervous Alibi." And so it goes, vacillating between Brits and Yanks, pillaging all the powerful pop deposited between, while attempting personal panache. Acknowledging the '70s, this black slab tries several styles, but things really swing when the band slams the hammer down. Thus, though their debut is late for the revolution, the Shazam gives good rock and should venture out to some interesting places.