Saturday, April 13, 2013

Album of the Week: Sam Doores & Riley Downing & the Tumbleweeds "Holy Cross Blues" (2012)

These days when someone references “classic country” they usually mean the days of Nudie suits and telecasters (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).  Sam Doores & Riley Downing go back farther than that, to the country of the 20s and 30s, when times were hard and the songs reflected that.

There’s a dust bowl sensibility to the 12 tracks on “Holy Cross Blues”, with themes of rambling, loss, and a quest for redemption and happiness.  They bring back the old blues influences that you’ve heard in Jimmie Rodgers and his contemporaries.

The production is simple, giving a warm analogue sound to the recording.  The guitars tend to edge into the fuzzy tones of amps being pushed a bit too hard.  The vocals are straightforward, and given plenty of room.

RIYL:  Son Volt, Townes Van Zandt, Tom Waits


No comments:

Post a Comment