IN BRIEF .......................................................13 MAR 2005
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Artist:
DREW LANDRY |
We get CDs from people we don't know all the time, and a cursory listen usually validates their obscurity. Not so in this case. Once through Tailgaten Relief & Hurricane Companion, and we almost felt that we should apologize to Drew Landry for not having heard of him earlier.
Equal parts gritfolk and southern-fried country-rock, Drew Landry and the Dirty Cajuns' latest release is a 7-track, 43-minute EP that collects 8 songs, a few answering machine messages and some sort of field interview a la Alan Lomax.
While Drew and the boys draw the occasional comparison to the Drive-By Truckers--give "Grosbec" a listen [REAL AUDIO CLIP]--don't write them off as imitators. Their admixture of biting social commentary and well-rendered regional vignettes has a distinctly original flavor.
The album has several standout tracks, but we're partial to "Salt Water Tears" [REAL AUDIO CLIP]. These guys deserve a listen.
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Artist:
JJ BARON |
If debut releases are an accurate measure of an artist's promise, you'd better keep your eye on Providence native JJ Baron. Featuring well-crafted songs and Baron's reedy, often rapid-fire vocals, Brand New Stranger includes appearances by a host of familiar faces, including Stu Kimball, Buddy Cage, and Slaid Cleaves.
Throughout, Baron does an admirable job of incorporating a variety of Americana influences. Check out "Brand New Stranger"
[REAL AUDIO CLIP] and "Set Em Up Boys" [REAL AUDIO CLIP] to get an idea of the album's expansive alt.country range.
Pity Baron didn't choose to lose the cheezy track "I Choose to Lose You," but on the whole, the album is a very impressive offering from the precocious Rhode Islander.
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Artist:
DEADSTRING BROTHERS |
Only the lowest form of music reviewing resorts to comparison. We know. But it's hard to get past the fact that the Deadsting Brothers do a spot-on Rolling Stones imitation, circa 1970. A few songs in, you'll swear that the Stones must have lost a studio session or two somewhere between Let It Bleed and Exile on Main St.
If Jagger/Richards countryhonk is your thing, you're going to dig Starving Winter Report. Check out "Sacred Heart" [REAL AUDIO CLIP] and "Lights Go Out" [REAL AUDIO CLIP].