On their latest album Looking for the Good Land, Bob and Scott Cerny aka The Cerny Brothers, bring an epic edge to their music, expanding far beyond the folksy acoustic based sound of early albums to embrace the storytelling, supersized hooks and cinematic punch of American rock ‘n roll. In a recent article by Rolling Stone , their music is described as “Heartland Rock in the vein of working-class heroes John Mellencamp and Tom Petty but distinguished by a power-pop sheen.”
As a result of their recent success, they have been signed to the newly relaunched Cleveland International Records, a label which at one time was run by legendary music business executive Steve Popovich. Current label owner Steve Popovich, Jr. announced the signing with these words: “On behalf of Cleveland International Records, we are beyond excited in welcoming The Cerny Brothers as part of the Cleveland International family. You’d be hard pressed to find another band with the all -around talent as these two guys.”
The incredible sound of the band should make it easier to pair them up with a tour partner, as they could tour with not only rock or pop acts like Blue October and The Decemberists but also roots and Americana acts like The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons and The Devil Makes Three, as well as quite a few of the top country acts, like Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan and others.
The album was tracked by Nathan Meckel and Mark Niemiec, the production duo The Buzz Brothers at Cowboy Jack Clements’ iconic studio, where they captured a high-energy sound — including Bob’s pounding piano, Scott’s electric guitar, plenty of vocal harmonies, and the insistent heartbeat of a four-on-the-floor kick drum. The result is an album with plenty of radio-worthy cuts. In fact, just about every track is worthy of being released as a single, a feat we haven’t seen since the debut album of Sugarland and Shania Twain‘s Come on Over, which sold more than 20 million copies.
The album’s first single, “I Wanna Love You,” is already receiving national airplay and the track can also be heard at American Eagle and Hollister stores across the country. We think that “Night on the Town” would be a great follow-up single.
Bob and Scott also had a bit to say about the direction of their sound. “I think deep down, we’ve always wanted to make an American Rock n’ Roll album,” says Scott. “While our music will always have roots tradition, our new songs were made to be played with the electric guitar and piano.” Bob adds, “Most of our songs before this album were songs written for acoustic guitar and banjo. Our last album, Sleeping Giant, started to see the emergence of electric guitar and a more rock edge to our roots sound. We grew up playing piano, and when we made the decision to buy a keyboard, we started writing songs for the piano and electric guitar and found a new means of expression that tied our adolescence with our lives now.”
“We’re not looking to push any specific ideology,” says Scott. “We’re just making observations about what we’ve seen. Across the country, whether you’re a musician or a plumber, you’re looking for your piece of the American pie. Everyone is engaged in their personal politics in search of where they fit in in such a diverse country.” Bob explains, “We just need to be honest with ourselves. I think we’re all just looking for the good land.”
The bottom line is that this album is perfect from start to finish, and deserves to be played on repeat. We guarantee you won’t get tired of hearing this amazing album.
The duo is currently on tour with Blues prodigy Cristone Kingfish Ingram. Stream and purchase their new record here.