THE COAL MEN

BEAUTY IS A MOMENT

2010-05-13

The Coal Men inhabit the same mid-tempo, soft rocking space as Jackson Browne, Bruce Cockburn and the Bodeans. While they occasionally turn up the guitars, for the most part the emphasis is on the vocals which, in the case of this disc, are focused on days gone by, "Beauty is a Moment", missing the boat on a relationship, "Outside Looking In", falling prey to a siren call, "Pretty Girls", looking for a second chance, "Sweet in the Pine" and other tales of heartbreak and regret. While the lyrics could find their way onto a blues disc, the musical backdrop is mostly buoyant and, with all three permanent band members contributing vocals, there’s plenty of harmonic ear candy to make this an enjoyable listen. Standout tracks include "Cleveland Sky" with its silky smooth slide guitar, "Outside Looking In" which sounds straight from the Bodeans catalogue, "Sweet in the Pines" with its Muscle Shoal vibe and "Louisiana" which uses accordion to evoke a sense of longing for the state, not as just a place, but as a frame of mind. Smitty

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Folk

  • reviewed 10/2015

    Caroline Aiken
    Broken Wings Heal

  • reviewed 09/2012

    The Wood Brothers
    Live Volume One

  • reviewed 03/2007

    Jorma Kaukonen
    Stars In My Crown

  • reviewed 02/2012

    HONOR FINNEGAN
    The Tiny Life

  • reviewed 07/2006

    FRED EAGLESMITH
    Milly's Cafe

  • reviewed 09/2017

    Clumsy Fingers
    Only A Fool Would Try

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.