| After watching all of the great alt.country bands of the past ten years either break up or defect to a more poppier side of the musical spectrum, it is exciting and energizing to see a band come along that seems to honor their country roots so fully with none of the artifice and Brian Wilson-isms that have crept into a lot of bands' repertoires so much lately. Not to say there isn't some blending of genres in Russell's sound - there is a healthy dose of Southern rock and even a huge dollop of punk-ish tone (yep, believe it) in a lot of the songs.
But, unlike most of the popisms some bands have adopted, the rockier influences do not detract from the songs, but oftentimes enhance them. A fitting example would be Springsteen - he's still roots-based rock no matter how high he cranks up the guitar. It's too deeply imbedded in his sound to totally disappear. Same with Russell and his band on this CD - even the rockier songs scream of bedrock country. There's no escaping it.
No matter how high the guitar gets cranked, the Hank Williams quotient is there and the quotient is high. This is a perfect band for country boys to get rowdy to and still be steeped in pure country music. Russell, to my ears, has reached what could be a perfect blend of roots and rock. Check it out for yourself. (by Scott Homewood, Freight Train Boogie Webzine, Spring 2003) |
