The album opens with “Smack
Dab In A Big Tornado,” a delightfully odd bluegrass tune, with a sort of
ominous tone as the lyrics start. But then the first lines take a surprising
turn: “He lost his job/After eighteen
years/When a big tornado/Carried him away.” Yeah, that would do it. And
these lines could be taken as positive or negative, depending on your
perspective: “But when he blew away/He
didn’t miss a thing.” I love the way these lyrics work. This one was
written by Jim White and Mike Pratt. It’s a truly interesting tune
with which to open the album.
That is followed by “Breathing
Room,” which begins as a peppy-sounding number, but with lyrics that act in
contrast to the sound: “You’ve got to pay
to play/Admission comes pretty steep/You’re gonna lose it all in the end at any
rate/It’s gonna hurt real bad/It’s gonna break your heart.” And the backing
vocals after he says he’s asking for a little breathing room make me smile
every time. They’re kind of goofy, but totally work. And then two minutes in, the
song has an interesting change, and makes me think of They Might Be Giants,
particularly in the vocals. “Why such a
long climb for such a short fall?” And at the end horns come in, another wonderful
surprise. Hey, who is expecting tuba?
“Corn Pone Refugee”
begins like a traditional fast-paced bluegrass tune, with some nice work on
violin and banjo. This one is ridiculously fun, and is one of my personal
favorites. It has some surprises of its own, taking a couple of interesting
turns, with a sort of rap. This one was co-written by Jim White and Josh Erwin.
Horn and la-da-da-da vocals open “Not A Song” in
a joyous way, and then the first lines are, “This is not a song/This is a cry for help.” I love the way these
guys use juxtaposition, the way they put you in a certain mood, set up certain
expectations, then take you in a different direction, for the results are often
a surprised laugh. Have I mentioned yet how fun this album is? “And I don’t care if you don’t believe me/You
know I’ll go on singing/Life is but a dream.”
“Jim 3:16” has a sweeter,
more thoughtful vibe, as the group turns philosophical: “A bar is just a church where they serve beer.” This is another track
that I love. Check out that absolutely delightful instrumental section. It’s
followed by “Gravity Won’t Fail,” which has more of a country vibe, but with
some interesting percussion. “You’re like
a law of nature science never found/Because gravity won’t fail, but you will
let me down.” Wonderful, right?
“Paranormal Girlfriend”
is a short, odd bluegrass love song. “I
was thinking about you/When the roof caved in/And I got a funny feeling/You was
thinking about me too.” Take It Like
A Man ends with a cool bluegrass gospel tune titled “Sinner!” “Sinner, you better get ready/Oh, you better
get ready, hallelujah.”
CD Track List
- Smack Dab In A Big Tornado
- Breathing Room
- Corn Pone Refugee
- Not A Song
- Jim 3:16
- Gravity Won’t Fail
- Wordmule Revisited
- Paranormal Girlfriend
- Blood On The Fiddle, Blood On The Bow
- Sorrows Shine
- Sinner!
Jim White is on vocals, guitar, banjo, keys, and percussion. The Packway Handle Band is Josh Erwin on vocals and guitar; Andrew Heaton on vocals and fiddle; Tom Baker on vocals and banjo; Michael Paynter on vocals, mandolin and percussion; and Zach McCoy on upright and electric bass.
Joining them on this release are David Van Wyke on cello; Ethan Stevens on tuba and trombone; Kevin Hyde on trombone; Marlon Patton on drums, percussion, keys and additional bass; Claire Campbell on vocals; and John Keane on vocals.
Take It Like A Man is scheduled to be released on January 27, 2015
through Yep Roc Records.
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