“Brother Cane” is a musical trip into the 1990s, but a specific slice of the 1990s.

Much of the group’s self-titled 1993 album plays like the soundtrack to offbeat coming of age movie. On some tracks, Brother Cane weaves in elements of the blues. But for the most part, it remains a supporting sound to the blossoming 1990s rock formed out of the arena bands and hair metal acts of the late 1970s and 1980s.

 Dig it

Brother Cane sounds like a fitting mediator between the arena and hair metal acts of the 1980s and the mainstream metal acts of the mid-to-late 1990s. Though neither is necessarily my genre of choice,

the band mixes tight guitars, bass and drums with a catchy hard rock that borders on.

Brother Cane’s metal is heavily infused with southern influence, which sounds like a controlled version of jam bands from the 1970s.

 Didn’t dig it

To me, the sound came off as overly produced and almost too clean. After all, Brother Cane is based out of the south, and I expected their sound to be a little dirtier.

The distortion and tone of the guitars and Johnson’s vocals can set the tone for an album, and on “Brother Cane” the sound ends a little too neat for my liking.

Enticing and unique tones can play a big part in filling out a band’s sound — just look at groups like the White Stripes.

Key track

“Got No Shame” opens the album on a high note. The Birmingham, Ala., natives let loose and rock out with their heaviest dose of southern flare. Damon Johnson sings in growly tones that many vocalists employed in the 1990s.

 Verdict

Not my style: I certainly respect Bother Cane’s precise musicianship, and they certainly incorporate some solid elements of the 1980s and 1990s. Still, the album just falls between the cracks of my musical tastes.