The album opens with “Cool
Mountains,” which had been released as a single. The way they sing, “Cool, cool mountains,” you can almost
taste the air there, whether “there” is the Blue Mountains of Jamaica or the Blue
Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. “Pack
it up, you’re going far away.” Ah yes, there is something so appealing
about that, particularly these days. Who doesn’t have daily fantasies of
packing the car and finding some place out in nature, away from other people,
away from the news, away from the pandemic? Plus, this track features a nice
lead on saxophone. And there is a delicious percussion section, followed by a
good lead on electric guitar. That’s followed by “Little Darlin’,” a love song
that has a certain sweetness to it, and a certain joy, the latter heard in
those delightful shouts of “Woo.” “You’ve got to dance to your own beat/And you’ve
got me singing on the street.” I also dig that jam, which has an easygoing
feel.
“Better Weather” has a more
somber, serious tone. “Gonna try and
shake these old blues/A better weather, it might come our way/We’ve got nothing
left to lose.” This track features more good work on guitar, and then
another wonderful lead on saxophone. It feels like that instrument itself could
lead us to the better weather. And if not the sax, then certainly the keyboards,
for that playing seems designed to lift us straight out of the clouds. Then “Slow
It Down” has a rhythm that should help ease you from your troubles. “Slow it down/You just might go and slip/Cool
it out/You just might lose your grip/Mellow slow/Just take the long way home.”
The only other song I can recall that uses the phrase “Mellow slow” is the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin’,” so it’s in good
company, and actually some of the guitar work here might remind you of the
sound of Jerry Garcia’s guitar. This song has a friendly vibe that I appreciate,
and is one of my favorite tracks. Then “Searchin’” has an interesting opening,
setting an unusual tone, feeling like it has something important to impart. “Why you want to keep on searching/You’re wasting
all these years/Why you want to keep on searching/And wasting all your time/You
can always just open your eyes/And say enough is enough/Today’s the day.” Yeah,
there is something darker here, but it is about trying to get the sunlight to
burst in. This is one of the album’s most compelling songs.
Things turn joyous with
“Workin’,” which has a delicious groove, a sound to raise your spirits, and
lyrics you can sing along to. “Well I, I’ve
been working so hard/Just to make life easy.” This track features a good,
passionate vocal performance and another bright lead on saxophone, plus some
completely delightful work on keys. Something about this song reminds me a bit
of Phish’s “NICU.” It is yet another of my favorite tracks. “Workin’” is
followed by “Nice Day,” a song that sounds like a vacation to me, a time
without troubles, without any worries about what might be occurring elsewhere,
a place where you are able to live in the moment, and you are able to
appreciate the beauty around you. “What a
day (what a day)/What a nice, nice day (what a day, what a day).” Simple,
yeah, but it works. “Irie” is another wonderful, cheerful number. It even
mentions juggling a soccer ball. If you need music to lift you from the
doldrums and murky social realm, here it is. I love the jam led by saxophone
and then by guitar. So good! You’ll likely be dancing long before this track is
over. The album then concludes with “Giving Thanks,” a cool and positive number
to leave us feeling optimistic and hopeful and cheerful. What more could you
ask for? “You might not see your future/You
might not ease the pain/Might be the first time you dance/Dance your blues away.”
CD Track List
- Cool Mountains
- Little Darlin’
- Better Weather
- Slow It Down
- Searchin’
- Workin’
- Nice Day
- Irie
- Giving Thanks
New Rootz was released on June 21, 2020.
Nice review! Makes me feel like I am there listening with you.
ReplyDelete