One Shot Deal trade in a classic, blues based, southern tinged rock. From the same lineage as early ZZ Top or a more commercial Creedance Clearwater Rivival these boys are hardly pushing the envelope. From the band biography it is apparent that they are all veterans of many bar bands and individually and collectively they are obviously talented musicians. There is also at least one real classic mullet going on. They have songs titled ‘Cold Hearted Woman’ about a woman with a cold heart. Another titled ‘Credit Cards’ which is about, um, credit cards and another titled ‘The Landlord’, which is an existential study of the futility of life. No, sorry my mistake, it’s about a landlord.
Quite frankly life’s too short. A sample lyric from ‘Credit Cards’ goes; ‘work all your life / what do you get? / $10 richer, 20 in debt / you can have anything if you can pay / don’t miss your due date / or we’ll take it away.’ No shit. On the difficult second album One Shot Deal will guide you through the mortgage process making sure to warn you that if you don’t keep up with your payments your home is at risk. To a good old blues rock workout and some boogie woogie piano.
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All of the songs were written between 1990 and 1993, although they could have been written in 1972. As a bar band they are more than competent but at the end of the day that’s exactly what One Shot Deal are, a bar band. What’s more they are a band steeped in a certain way of life, from the shot of a hot rod on the front cover to the smoking gun and playing cards on the back cover. It’s not a lifestyle that translates that well to England on a dreary March day. Steer well clear.
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