The audience was on their feet, continuously moving to the music. The days of BIC lighters past, the room was filled with the din of camera phones and camcorders for the entire set. Did the crowd love it? You bet!! And why not? Live music venues are few and far between. I have always said that live music of any genre is cool. But I digress, the live show was indeed a toe tapper. Sorry to my non-country friends for the reference, but I, my date and Edmonton Muse photog, Shauna Specht, all had the beat through every song. My favorite song in the bunch, disc or live was YOURS. I have to be
honest, I am not sure what it was. I think I found a simplicity in the melody at the beginning, progressing to challenge my listening and returning to the simple. It should be noted that the Band also picked it for us to do a live stream.
As I kicked back the next morning and listened to the album, several times, I found something in the Track 7, The RIVER. I am not sure why I can’t explain it to you. Maybe it’s my country roots, or maybe it’s that aforementioned “unconventional mix”. What ever it is, by the third play, I was finding myself looking for lyrics. The disc is a solid but kicked up representation of the live show. That almost always happens as there is more at your disposal in the studio. That said, it was recorded at Sound Extractor in Edmonton and though I don’t know producer Stew Kirkwood, thecombination of producer, studio, writing and band have created a disc worth your investment.
As this is my first review outside my comfort zone, I hope you reading this and The New Haunts can forgive me if there is a lack of detail to more tracks. I did enjoy the show and the album. I know what I like and right now, it’s YOURS and THE RIVER.
Opening act, The Silkstones, stunned everyone at our table. Lead vocals were great AND as a cowboy, they had a fiddle.
Apologies to Jesse and the Dandelions for not being able to catch their set. We had multiple engagements on the same night.
-Jazz MAtthews
www.edmontonmuse.ca