I know what you might be thinking — a band that uses Aerosmith and Lynyrd Skynyrd as its primary touchstones can’t be cool. It’s gonna be some hackneyed Kings of Leon thing, right? But Howlin‘ Rain brings a good name back to classic rock on The Russian Wilds, which is really too expansive and nuanced to pigeonhole with such descriptors to begin with. The Russian Wilds presents a number of ’70s rock sounds — all of them done well — from blue-eyed soul to prog rock to bar blues, in one cohesive unit. Most songs stretch past the six-minute mark, like eight-minute opener "Self Made Man," which showcases singer/guitarist Ethan Miller’s (formerly of psych greats Comets on Fire) growling powers and Southern rock chops to great effect, never losing its grip or meandering into aimless jam-rock territory, almost miraculously. "Strange Thunder" has everything you want from a power ballad — tenderness, genuine emotion — without the extreme melodrama. And it almost seems like ruining the ending of a movie to describe "Phantom in the Valley’s" Santana-esque Latin rock breakdown — you should really just hear this thing for yourself.

Also available on LP.