by Thom Owens
Supported by a new batch of Howlers, Omar Dykes doesn't show any signs of wear and tear on World Wide Open. The band continues to turn out a gut-busting mixture of blues and dirty rock & roll, occasionally sounding like Howlin' Wolf, other times like the Stones or Creedence Clearwater Revival. As always, the quality of songs is slightly inconsistent but the band never sounds tired -- they perform with as much energy, if not more, than they ever have.