Material: Chemical Diary is a covers duo consisting of a bass player and guitar player accompanied by a backing drum track. They play well-known songs like “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC/DC, “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith, “Roxanne” by The Police, “Love Hurts” by Nazareth, “Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones, “Hot Blooded” by Foreigner and “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry.
Musicianship: The band’s musicianship is okay, but it’s really difficult to tell without a drummer to keep the time in place. Their cover versions of familiar songs are easily recognizable, which is a good thing, but an adept drummer would help things out immensely. The bass lines are basic and the guitar riffs are pretty close to the originals; but only close. Roland has an okay voice and can play while singing, but the pleasant surprise of the evening came from Dudee and his background vocals. He hit some pretty high notes on “Love Hurts” those moments made the whole evening; superb tone and placement. Perhaps he should become a more prominent part of the Chemical Diary vocal presentation?
Performance: In contrast to an impressive Chemical Diary sign that was truly electric, the duo’s stage presentation was lackluster. It needed the physical energy that a drummer would definitely provide in a live situation.
Summary: This is the second time I’ve reviewed Chemical Diary in Music Connection and this time around it really seems like their presentation has slipped back a notch or two. It’s time for the band to regroup and fine-tune their act.
Web: ChemicalDiary.com
Contact: [email protected]
The Players: Roland Numbers, bass, vocals; Dudee Numbers, guitar, vocals
