The CD opens with “What’s So Great About You.” I can’t help
but think this song is about Donald Trump. Perhaps I’m reading something into
it that isn’t there, but the lyrics certainly fit. Here are the first several
lines: “The thing about you/Only you
think you’re special/What’s a person to do/When there’s no room on the pedestal/What’s
so great about you.” There is a soft beauty to this song, and the harmonies
rise gloriously above the instruments at moments. That’s followed by “Not Those
Kind Of People,” which reminds me a bit of Cat Stevens, particularly in the
vocal line. And check out these lyrics: “And
if you looked in our basket/We’ve got hate that’s just fantastic/Funny how well
we’ve masked it/Living so long/And even if we were/Bred for jubilation/Like a
peacock in fur/I believe/We’ve been led to temptation/Washed down the river/And
hooked on the lure.” There is a strange joy in the approach, and even
hand-claps, helping make this one of my favorite tracks.
Even though this album has more of a folk feel, it
certainly does not feel like anything traditional. This band continues to
create its own way, its own sound, delivering songs with its own particular
perspective. And even with the changes in the band’s lineup, that is something
that remains constant. Take “Binoculars,” for example (though, really, you
could take any of these tracks as an example), with its deceptively simple folk
sound on acoustic guitar at the beginning. The vocal line also begins with an
easy, direct sound. But then the harmonies come in, and the song is taken to a
different level. “I raise up my
binoculars/And I see everything everywhere/I see detail, of that I’m sure/But I
don’t see me/And that hurts/The most.” And you realize that the song has
completely pulled you in, immersed you in its beautiful vocals, in its world.
And this band is able to do that with every damn song. It’s remarkable.
“Perfect” seems the perfect song for Valentine’s Day, a
sweet tune that looks forward to a long life together, but still with the band’s
delightfully quirky vibe. Take these lines, for example: “What would be the name of our first kid?/I know you like Emma Jean, but
I can’t stand it.” Here are the song’s
opening lines: “What would be the color
of our first house/Would we have two bedrooms if we can’t work it out.” Yes,
it is a love song, a song that is making me feel pretty good. “And I would kiss you/And you would like
that/And you said/And you said/You said everything was perfect.”
That’s followed by a different sort of relationship song,
“Fence.” Check out these lines: “I am a
fence/In your back yard/Why is it so hard/And it’s hardly love/If I can’t let
you run/Down to the gate/The latch is undone.” “I Could Make You So Happy”
also reminds me a bit of Cat Stevens at the beginning. This is another sweet song.
Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Oh, I
tried to let you let yourself go, but then my arms won’t let you/Oh, I tried to
hold you hold yourself up, but then my arms always caught you/Let’s put our
fingers in our fingers and oh my what are those brown eyes that look back at me/If
I’m a singer you’re a singer, we’re a duet of those low and highs that make
harmony/I could make you so happy.” And that one is followed by “Long Life,”
which is incredibly pretty and sweet. This actually might be my favorite track
on this CD, in part because lines like these hit me so hard and bring me to
tears: “So I hope you can believe in me
even though it’s gotten so damn hard/To be counting down the days until we get
to wake up in each other’s arms/I’m hoping for a long life/Yeah, a long life/A
long life for you and me.”
CD Track List
- What’s So Great About You
- Not Those Kind Of People
- Binoculars
- Math And Love
- Perfect
- Fence
- Good News Sadie
- I Could Make You So Happy
- Long Life
- Is This Danger
- No Snow In The Valley
Fences is
scheduled to be released on March 3, 2017 on Ramseur Records.
Great review of an excellent album. Thanks.
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