2009-08-08
This is the second album from the San Francisco seven-piece outfit, Or, the Whale. I find it to be a bit more "countryfied" than their first album, "Light Poles and Pines". This album of sometimes rocking, folk-country does have some good things to offer, such as nice production and vocal harmonies. Besides your basic guitar, drums, and vocals, Or, the Whale's brand of Americana also features dobro, pedal steel guitar and banjo. Most of the songs here are somewhat Starland Vocal Band-sounding in their country-pop harmonies. The more rocking songs are the album opener, "No Love Blues", the haunting "Keep Me Up", and the Jefferson Airplane-ish "Black Rabbit". Rebecca RuthRALPH STANLEY
A Distant Land To Roam
Various Artists
Our Side of Town: A Red House Records 25th Anniversary Collection
SHANE BARTELL
Too Soon to Say
RAY WYLIE HUBBARD
A. ENLIGHTENMENT, B. ENDARKENMENT (HINT: THERE IS NO C)
LACH
Blang!
KAREN SAVOCA
In the Dirt
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