Reading the name "NINE MILES SOUTH", I thought it yet another Deep South Rock band. And while I wasn't entirely off, this debut EP turned out to have more than a few surprises in for me - all positive ones.

So, the first handful of surprises: This it not an American band. They're Brits, with a Dane at the front, and these guys are all into Hard Rock; all down with the Blues, all over the Jazz, and all up for that sweet, sweet American Deep South Country Rock. Some might call it an unholy mix, but they sure don't know a thing, because as NINE MILES SOUTH makes all too apparent with their last surprise: It's a match made in (Deep South of) Heaven.

Essentially, if you think LYNYRD SKYNYRD, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL, BLACKBERRY SMOKE, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, and, dare I say, BLACK SABBATH, should've played together, well look no sodding further because NINE MILES SOUTH have the mix of these giants down into one glorious 3-track debut EP.

"The Reckoning" has a clear Alternative touch to it, and moves with fluent motions and an almost Progressive approach between smooth Bluesy Rock, swaggering Country, and some just sweet, heavy, Blues-laden Hard Rock. "Leave Me Be" is the band's coup-d'etat on the radio waves, and by every right this catchy Rock ballad should get some airplay, as it's that right kind of radio friendly without being devoid of content. Finally, "Fingernails" sees the band turn the Groove on and send its listener off to some smooth, smooth Hard Rock/Blues crossover wonderwork with a core riff that hits like a well-aged whiskey to the soul.

But one of the more extraordinary things this band manages to pull off, is to make this sound not sound dated or "too retro", but rather makes it sound modern all the while maintaining those old-school-styled sounds. Most veteran bands can't pull this off, some of which even helped pioneer the genres, so hats off to NINE MILES SOUTH for this, well, achievement.

And I think "achievement" is how I'd like to describe this debut EP as. For all intents and purposes, it's flawless: The songs are great and diverse; the musicianship is well-thought out and well-executed; the sound is both a well-oiled version of the old as it is a rather bold attempt to make something new, and just overall the "Nine Miles South EP" is an astounding success that should be capable of winning just about anyone over.

The only real question is, can NINE MILES SOUTH pull the same off on a full-length, or will the runtime take its toll on this otherwise excellent formula? Time will tell, but I have only good feelings about this EP, this band, and their future.