Progress is coming to Eirecana. Seeing as the amount of americana and alt-country bands is not proportionally increasing to the number of posts I would like to make each month, the blog will be moving in more of a zigzag direction but forwards all the same. So to begin, instead of featuring new bands on each new post, I will be incorporating a few different items, including some album reviews.
I probably should include this on a separate post but here’s an overview of what I constitute to be a good album review. Music is so subjective, I think it’s almost impossible to give my own view on a collection of songs and then think you, the reader, will have similar thoughts. In my view a good album review should incorporate some inclination of who and what the band sound like, what the tracks are about and what the idea or message is, if any, behind the album. So we shall begin.
Nathan Conway is someone that I have discussed on this blog before. You can consult those musings here to get the background on his music and career so far. Nathan has previously given the world the greatest song about fishing in the Antarctic seas so I had some high expectations for this album. The River Valley band which I have mentioned before is one I have to yet to discuss in detail. Nevertheless, the important thing here is that both Nathan and The River Valley band joined forces over two cold days in early December last year to forge an album of thematic tunes for yours and my listening pleasure.
With "Sonny Boy" Nathan and the River Valley Band (RVB) have taken a step forward with these songs. It differs somewhat from his previous work which was more upfront country-rock. This is on the other hand, as they describe it themselves, music of country and soul. What is evident when you first listen to these songs is that this is not a collection of tracks packaged together on one format. This is an "album" from start to finish. Carefully constructed and prepared to lead one on a journey with a beginning, middle and end. It is clear that this album is full of ideas and musings shaped around some fine country-soul accompaniments. The principle framework around which the songs revolve is St. Francis’ famous idea that a boy is shaped into the man he will become by seven. Acting as a prologue and epilogue as well as stitching the album together in the middle, there are four versions of "Seven Years Old". With the same lyrics repeated each time, the song is suggesting that the future could be better dealt with, with a little effort from others at the beginning of ones life. My favourite version is part III - it sounds like a ghostly choir singing from beyond the grave urging someone not to make the same mistakes.
The album begins with a lovely song relating to this theme, the innocence of youth. The sound of a helicopter is always awe-striking for a kid but the kid is never aware of “shipping out the agent orange, reloading with foreign aid and charity”. A contrast between the youth and the man.
One of my favourite things about Nathan Conway is his singing style. He is not afraid to sing in his own accent and it's nice to hear the midland dialect coming to the fore in the lovely "Where's the love in my Heart?” He finishes the song with the phonetically midlands dialect perfect "where's the love in me harte". Before that, the song begins as a slow ballad that merges into a sax-led soul country pop piece before moving into a harmonious choir-like celebration of the joys of song.
The album deals a lot with the thread of a person’s personality, a person's flaws and how it affects us and others. You can hear that come through on the dark "Honeymoon Heartbreak" and "It'll all come back on me someday". Both full of sombre words contrasted with jazzy piano led country rock melodies.
The particularly lovely "I Got it Bad" deals with a one-sided relationship and the realisation that friends are always there to see you through. Set to an accomplished arrangement of piano, organ and rhythm section with a beautiful paced backing wind section, the song melody manages to get across the meaning of the lyrics with the right amount of emphasis.
Full of jazzy licks especially with excellent organ and saxophone playing, the album although feeling like it is very personal still has the ability to get you feet taping and you singing along without becoming too heavy to take in. A rare ability for a musician to have. Like a good beer, it requires repeated exposure to appreciate it fully. A wonderful album.
You can sample and buy the album as well as the respective back catalogues on the band's official site or if you are more iTunes inclined, it's available here. Check out the Facebook if you want to keep updated on their goings-on. Hopefully they will be touring the album soon.
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