Think Mark Knopfler’s voice. Add bucket loads of Americana. Result? Hey Negrita..
It astounds me how we (Brits) can sometimes outdo the Yanks at their own game.
That’s what going on here. This brilliant neuvo-country band certainly knows
how to throw it back in their faces, and with style.
The music ranges from Pogues like romps such as Nine To Five (featuring
some nifty harmonica work) to a spellbinding waltzy-tradfolk Lust And Bones
a la Fairport Convention, even. Each song has melody at its heart.
First single, Can’t Walk Away, a highly hummable country ditty (with
subtle pedal steel hanging in the background) is a perfect opening track that
sets the tone for the rest of this very impressive album. Twanging guitar and
deep voiced singing by Felix on All About Me send you up-country before
the Penny Drops, a shimmying dusty acoustic ballad.
Abandon Ship, next single out July 3, has a rousing trad feel, almost
in the Levellers mode, as is an equally impressive The Message.
Foot-tapping Coming Down (shades of The Mavericks?) is sure to be a
party favourite, if it’s ever released as a single. Good Times is
text-book Dire Straits meets The Mavericks, though more countrified. The
stunning Charlene chronicles a lost friend, as it builds and builds to
a magnificent heart-wrenching chorus, supplemented by delicate pedal steel
again.
1. Can’t Walk Away
2. All About Me
3. Penny Drops
4. Abandon Ship
5. Coming Down
6. Good Times
7. Charlene
8. The Message
9. Hold Tight
10. Nine To Five
11. Lust And Bones
12. Sunlight Hits Your Eyes
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008.
