They open the album with “Old Black Crow,” which begins like a back-porch number on acoustic guitar, then after a few second kicks in to become a cool blues tune, complete with horns. Kurt Jorgensen is on lead vocals. “Lord, this world is burning/So let’s turn things around.” Oh yes! And it is finally feeling like some things might be moving in the right direction in this country. Toward the end of this track, there is delightful surprise, an instrumental section led by the horns. I do wish that section were a little longer, for once it gets going, the track comes to its conclusion. This song is a good way to get the album started. Then Brianna Jorgensen takes lead vocals duties on “Miles,” a song to put on your road trip play list, with lines like “Got to get on the open road again/Miles and miles and miles and miles/Hold on tight/We’re talking miles and miles and miles and miles/Through the night.” Music like this adds to my itch to get on the road again. “Yeah, it suits me right,” she tells us at the end. I’m guessing that’s the case for a lot of us.
Kurt sings lead on “Boom Boom Boom,” which begins with vocals and acoustic guitar. The part I really love is when the backing vocals come in on the chorus the next time around, adding a soulful element that is just completely delicious. There is also some really good guitar work on this track, helping make the atmosphere even cooler. And then check out that horn just before the song comes to its conclusion. That’s followed by “Hey Baby,” which has a very cool, jazzy vibe right from the start, and features some sexy work on saxophone. And if this track has you thinking of a cat strutting about, well, that is the idea, for when the vocals come in, the first line is “Like a cat on a roof under a slurry sky.” Here they take turns on lead vocals, and Kurt sings, “Like the shadow of sin,” a phrase that stands out. And that great work on guitar adds to the delight of this track.
“Shake It” features some nice work on violin, mandolin and banjo, giving the track a bluegrass sound, though it is still a great, slow bluesy number. “Won’t you take me back baby/We’ve got nothing left to lose/The river’s rising, lord, it’s high, high, high.” There is a fantastic vocal section at the end, which has something of a gospel feel. “The river’s rising, and it’s high, high, high/The river’s rising, there’s no way out/The river’s rising, there’s no way out.” That’s followed by “Out Of My Mind,” a smooth number that features some completely delicious work on trumpet. “I’m going out of my mind, I’m really out of my mind.” Ah, but she sounds like she’s holding it together just fine. “Leave Your Light On” is another cool number, with a bit of a laid-back feel. Both Kurt and Brianna sing lead on this one. “Tell me, won’t you leave your light on, Mama, ‘cause Daddy’s coming home.” I could never use the words “Mama” and “Daddy” that way without sounding ridiculous. But these guys can do it, no problem.
“Dark Road” has an intriguing opening, feeling like it has set us upon the dark road of its title. And interestingly the first voices we hear are backing vocals, strangely soothing and alluring. Then the song suddenly kicks in, “I hear the devil laughing,” and features the horns, as if they are in conversation with the demon. And by the end, they are repeating, “On this dark road, I won’t travel no more.” Then “Twenty Years” also has a cool introduction that includes some wonderful touches on strings. This one takes us onto the road too: “So I head out on that highway, on a long road that I call home.” The album concludes with “State Line,” which features some sweet guitar work as the song begins. This one has more of a folk vibe, and has more wonderful work on strings. This is a beautiful and sad number. “I used to say let’s never change/Now those words seem impossible to me/I drove all night, yeah/I drove all night/There’s got to be more to this than always paying your price/By the time you realize my love’s beyond the state line.” This track is for me another of the disc’s highlights. “There was a time that we got it right” is a wonderfully sad final line. And then the strings have the final word here.
CD Track List
- Old Black Crow
- Miles
- Boom Boom Boom
- Hey Baby
- Shake It
- Out Of My Mind
- Leave Your Light On
- Dark Road
- Twenty Years
- State Line
Americana Soul
was released on November 4, 2022 on Paramour Records.
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