Metal Underground.com

For a band to try to produce something akin to ZZ Top's Texas blues-based boogie in Britain runs the risk of seeming inauthentic — despite the longhorn on the cover and song titles like "Mississippi Wide Boy." Fortunately, for the most part, London-based NitroVille actually pulls it off on the band's debut disc, "Can't Stop What's Comin'." The disc does lose momentum about three-quarters of the way through, though.

A blues-based band is only as good as its guitarist. Kurt Michael Boeck delivers potent riffs on tracks like the superb opener "Cheating The Hangman" and "Tell It Like It Is." His eerie southern-fried slide work on "Cuts To The Bone" is one of the album's highlights.

Singer Tola Lamont has has a powerful voice that occasionally feels reminiscent of Blondie's Debbie Harry. She helps deliver an extra helping of slink to "Dust Devil" and delivers a powerful chorus on "Let It Roll." Toward the end of the album, her vocals occasionally clash with Boeck's guitars — especially on "Got What It Takes."

The rhythm section of Cyro Zuzi on drums and Fussi Andersen on bass is adequate to the task at hand. That said, they're definitely playing a secondary role to Lamont and Boeck — and the less-than-stellar production values on this one don't do them any favors.

The disc's real problem, though, is that the band doesn't have enough great songs to fill the album — and the slump that starts with "Killing Kind" and runs clear through the disc's closer, the clumsy "Coming On Strong" is especially notable, given the relative excellence of the disc's first five songs.

Those with a taste for blues rock will likely find something to love on NitroVille's "Can't Stop What's Comin'" — especially in the greasy, gritty and great first half. The disc's a solid start, but NitroVille will have to create a more potent blend of tracks the next go-round to really explode.