CD review: The Departed “Adventus”

A version of this review appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To read my recent column on The Departed, click here.

Rock

The Departed “Adventus” (Underground Sound/Thirty Tigers)

The introductions are over. The Departed have not only arrived, but they’re ready to rock ‘n’ roll, whether their one-time fans are or not.

After two years of writing, touring and recording, the red dirt band — former Cross Canadian Ragweed singer/guitarist Cody Canada, ex-Ragweed bassist Jeremy Plato, Texas singer/guitarist Seth James, Tulsa keyboardist Steve Littleton and new drummer Chris Doege — released last week its first album of original material, “Adventus.”

Although it is the group’s second album, the title, which is Latin for “arrival,” proves entirely fitting. The ensemble’s freshman effort, last year’s sublime homage to Oklahoma songwriters dubbed “This Is Indian Land,” seems more than ever like a lovingly crafted bridge between its Ragweed past and its future as a much different band. They maintain red dirt roots via sinewy songwriting — one or more of the band members wrote all 14 tracks, with James and Canada splitting most of the songsmith duties — but with “Adventus,” The Departed clearly establish themselves as unabashed rockers who feel more kinship to the blues, funk and the Tulsa Sound than folk or country.

Even the cover art, photographer Carl Dunn’s black-and-white image of a Texas cop who plugged his ears with bullets during a Led Zeppelin concert back in the day, reinforces The Departed’s rock identity.