Rival Sons at Irving Plaza

Jay Buchanan and Scott Holliday

Black Summer Crush split up when vocalist Thomas Flowers rejoined his previous band, Oleander. Guitarist Scott Holliday was ready to continue the band with bassist Robin Everhart and drummer Mike Miley. Miley earlier has played briefly with vocalist Jay Buchanan in a band called Buchanan. With the skeptical vocalist recruited, the revamped hard rock band was renamed Rivals Sons in 2009 and quickly self-released its debut album, Before the Fire. Everhart left the band in August 2013 and was replaced by Dave Beste. The band's fourth album, Great Western Valkyrie, was released in June 2014.

At Irving Plaza tonight, Rival Sons played a blues rock sound that was common circa 1972 but is rare today. Buchanan belted soulfully in a voice that sounded uncannily like Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company, and Holliday's chunky guitar leads recalled Deep Purple, Blackmore's Rainbow and Dio. Opening with a heavy guitar riff, "Electric Man" from the new album was the start of a vintage-sounding hard rock set highlighting the most important keys to rock and roll mastery -- loud, bluesy guitar virtuosity and soulful singing matched with memorable songs. Rival Sons filled a void in hard rock music that has been missing since 1979.

Visit Rival Sons at www.rivalsons.com.