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 Ruth
MAGGIE BJORKLUND
Coming Home
LOUISA BRANSCOMB
I'll Take Love from the pen of Louisa Branscomb
RAY LA MONTAGNE
Gossip in the Grain
BLAZE FOLEY & THE BEAVER VALLEY BOYS
Cold, Cold World
K. S. RHOADS
The Wilderness
JJ Byars
Waterlogged
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