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Reviews

Album Review: The Lost Brothers–Halfway Towards a Healing

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Rating: 7/10

Time to take an album off my 2018 back burner while it’s still manageable and not out of control like the back burner of 2017. And first on the list is the latest album from Irish folk duo The lost Brothers, (Oisin Leech and Mark McCausland(, known as Halfway Towards a Healing. The title track of this record made our January playlist, and I’ve also done a reflection on them in the past, but finding words for this album has proven to be difficult.

This is primarily because it’s one of those nice, pleasant listens, very much a mood record. It’s definitely a good album, and the songwriting is strong throughout most of it, but what really holds your attention is the atmosphere surrounding it. Songs like the opener, “Echoes in the Wind,” really capture the peaceful, introspective thing this album was going for. It’s going to be an album a lot of people enjoy just for how relaxing it is; those that love the more polished, stripped back stuff like Sam Outlaw or the Secret Sisters will gravitate toward this. And speaking of the Secret Sisters, the harmonies throughout this are just excellent, definitely another highlight of this record. It’s almost like listening to a modern-day Simon and Garfunkel. All that said, you’ve still got to be in a certain mood to really appreciate this album.

Even still, compared to some of their earlier material, there is more variety in tempo and mood here. The excellent Spanish style instrumental “Rains of Ruin,” paired with the title track which also carries this Spanish flair and speaks about a Spanish church, comprise the most interesting moments of the album musically. The title track also serves to provide some much-needed energy on the album. “Come Tomorrow” stands out a bit on this record as well, as the percussion here really adds some life; this is the third track, and after two introspective, acoustic numbers, some life was certainly in order. It’s also nice to hear textures like the horns happily contributing on “Where the Shadows Go” to make this song fuller. On an album mostly reliant upon acoustic guitar and their flawless harmonies to carry the weight, subtle things like this can really make a difference, and these little nuances serve to add character to this project. Thank you, Lost Brothers, for adding yourselves to the ranks of independent artists actually taking the time to care about your production and instrumentation as much as your lyrics.

The same strengths of this album, however, are also going to be its weaknesses. Some people will find it too slow or sleepy or boring, in varying degrees. Although there’s definite improvement on that front for the group, they could still do with infusing some more life here. There are more moments of variety, but equally, there’s nothing as bright as something like “The Goodbye Kid” from one of their previous records. And I have no idea what the hell “The Ballad of the Lost Brother” thinks it’s supposed to be, but it’s just…weird. I could definitely do without this track completely.

This is an album that’s being criminally overlooked, and one I think many of you will enjoy. As previously mentioned, fans of a more polished, stripped back, singer-songwriter style are going to be more inclined to like this, but stuff like the title track may appeal to everyone. This was one reason it was the song featured in our playlist. It wasn’t easy to write about this group, but this is an album I enjoyed from a band that needs to be on more people’s radar, and they deserved some words. That said, just as I can see the appeal for many people, I can see how some would find this really sleepy/boring. For this listener, it was just peaceful and pleasant. Hopefully, for the right audience, this album and artist will be a cool discovery, just as they have been for me.

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Playlists

February Playlist on Spotify and Apple Music

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Well, this month’s playlist is definitely a good one. If you haven’t checked out Brandi Carlile, Wade Bowen, Caleb Caudle, Mike & the Moonpies…well, here’s your chance. It was a strong month for singles, and we’ve got some promising new songs from Willie Nelson, Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Monroe, and Red Shahan. There seemed to be something for everyone in February, from Americana to Texas country to the mainstream. And if you’re shocked that a Cole Swindell song made our list, well, deal with it. Thanks as always to Zack for supplying the Spotify version, and my apologies in advance for the lack of Courtney Patton on that platform.

Apple Music users, you can follow me there @countryexclusive for this and all our future playlists, as well as for updates to the Saving Country Music top 25. For February’s playlist,
Click Here

For Spotify users:

Reviews

Single Review: Cole Swindell’s “Break up in the End”

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Rating: 7/10

First of all, it doesn’t help the state of country music for people to judge a song based on the artist. If people refuse to listen to this on principle because Cole Swindell has basically released nothing but mediocrity or complete shit his entire career, this is comparable to a mainstream listener refusing to listen to Jason Eady because he’s not on the radio. This is not about people who have given this song a shot with an open mind and happened to dislike it; rather, it’s directed at the ones who refuse to give Cole Swindell a chance to improve. If we don’t acknowledge when artists like this release something better but can only comment when they give us something terrible, what is the motivation for any of them to actually churn out better singles and thereby improve the state of our beloved country music? Not only that, it undermines the value of music to assume that certain artists are only capable of producing crap–the power of music and its ability to make people feel something goes far beyond the restrictions of artist or genre. Restricting your listening habits based on these things only makes you miss out on good songs.

So I’ll go on record proudly and say that Cole Swindell, singer of some of the most clichéd, uninteresting, misogynistic bullshit in mainstream country’s recent history, has actually released a good single. It’s a well-crafted song, a song with substance and emotion, and damn it, a song that actually sounds like it belongs in the country genre.

This is a song explaining that, even though he breaks up with this woman in the end, he’d go back and do everything over again. Their time together was worth it, and he includes little details like introducing her to his parents that add a personal touch. Think of a modern take on Ronnie Milsap’s “I Wouldn’t Have Missed it For the World.” Cole isn’t the greatest singer and never will be–a criticism for this track which I can understand more than some of the other problems people have had with it–but he gives a convincing, emotional performance here that makes up for his rather average technical skill. The chorus in particular really finds him in a vulnerable moment, and I’ll also add that it’s nice to see one of these previously faceless, interchangeable bros not only sing something with substance but actually add some heart to it. It doesn’t feel like this came off the songwriting conveyor belt, it feels like something Swindell actually felt. It feels honest in an era where honesty is glaringly absent from country music in the mainstream.

The production is simple here, with prominent acoustic guitar and light percussion. It works mostly because the main focus on a song like this should be the lyrics, but it almost feels a little underproduced, like it could have had a bit more variety in instrumentation or an interlude. This is definitely better than overproduction, but somehow, it does feel like it needed something more. That also could be due to his previously mentioned limited vocal ability, and the fact that the song was restricted to his range.

Overall, though, this is a really solid song, and we’re just going to have to deal with that. More importantly, it’s part of a subtle shift happening in the mainstream country format. When he’s releasing this, and Luke Bryan’s giving us the best single he’s produced in years with “Most People are Good,” it signals a definite, if small, change on country radio and in the mainstream. Whatever your personal feelings about this song, the best thing is that it’s actually helping the country genre for once, both in sound and substance. Well done, Cole Swindell.

Written by: Chase McGill, Jessie Jo Dillon, Jon Nite

Non-Country Stuff

Rock Spotlight: Ruby Boots–Don’t Talk About It

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I don’t know why this Ruby Boots album is being marketed as country, or why outlets are citing this Australia native as an exciting new country artist to keep an eye on, because this isn’t, and she’s not. It’s most definitely rock, and as Michael Rauch of The Cheap Seat Report recently pointed out on Twitter, people are really afraid to call a project rock these days. Maybe that’s because the term appears outdated, and country seems to be the cool thing to label your record in these times. I don’t know, but despite what Rolling Stone or Apple Music says, this is certainly and proudly a rock effort. It’s also quite a good one and an obvious choice for my first non-country spotlight of the year.

Because it’s rock, it’s not going to blow you away with well-crafted lyrics or astounding melodies, and that’s why it’s harder for me to speak about as primarily a country reviewer, and why I ultimately chose to spotlight this. Rather, the strengths of this album are its instrumentation and production. It’s the style that sells you on this album and artist, from the opening moments of “It’s So Cruel” to the atmospheric sound of “Believe in Heaven.” It’s the way distortion is used to greater effect on songs like “Somebody Else.” It’s the way the vocals move from one side to the other across your stereo on “I’ll Make it Through” to add a really cool vibe. Stylistically, it’s much like something that would have been on rock radio thirty years ago, and it’s really refreshing to hear someone doing this so well in 2018.

And Ruby Boots has the power and intensity to match these songs and style as well; in fact, her weakest moment on the whole album comes when she tries to hold back for the tender “I am a Woman.” It illustrates that her strength lies in more intense music, that she’s more at home belting out among screaming guitars than trying to sing something more stripped back. That said, she does pull this more emotional side off well on “Break my Heart Twice,” which is also the closest cousin to country on this record.

The current state of rock music is even worse than what we’re experiencing with country right now; indeed, the complete implosion of the format is probably why many artists are afraid to associate themselves with the title. But just like Joshua Hedley recently said about country, rock is not a dirty word. To that end, artists keeping that sound and spirit alive today should be proud. Ruby Boots is keeping that sound alive and doing it well.

So yeah, I really enjoyed this. Fans of rock music, particularly that from the late 80’s or so, check this out and get to know Ruby Boots.

Standout Tracks: “It’s so Cruel,” “Believe in Heaven,” “I’ll Make it Through,” “Don’t Talk About It,” “Break my Heart Twice”

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Reviews

Song Review: Ashley Monroe’s “Hands on You”

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Rating: 7.5/10

First of all, whose idea was this to release the new Ashley Monroe single on the very same day that Kacey Musgraves is debuting new songs and giving us information on her next album? Invariably, Musgraves is going to overshadow Ashley Monroe today, and this becomes especially important when you take into account the ridiculous competition which has been manufactured among the very few women allowed to release country projects on major labels. It just seems like bad marketing strategy to release Ashley’s first song in three years on a day where it has to compete with Kacey Musgraves for attention and coverage…but I digress. It’s here, so let’s discuss the song.

So yeah, this is a sex song. Or, if you like, it’s an “almost-sex song,” as apparently the narrator didn’t actually get to have sex and instead is now lying in bed alone wishing for the things they could have done. It’s hard to review a song like this because they are what they are, but the main concern really becomes how well a singer can pull this off, and Ashley does well with it, giving a convincing performance and selling the lyrics well. Lyrically, it also manages to draw a good line between generic and overly detailed, so that the lines are specific enough within these parameters to make this song stand out among many that are similar. It’s also worth noting, especially in an environment where Maren Morris characterized women in country as having to be sexy all the time but not allowed to actually be sexual or express their desires, that Ashley Monroe seems to be breaking this stereotype here and is quite comfortable admitting these things.

The melody can start to get slightly samey after awhile, and it’s a good thing there’s an interlude breaking up the verses, but a bridge might have added something more to the song. There’s also some ambiguity inn the lyrics; the biggest question is why didn’t they lay their hands on each other? Was she simply shy, guilty about another relationship, or something else? It works because it can apply to many situations, and also the focus is really not meant to be on this part, but still, there could have been a line or two explaining this a little better, perhaps in the nonexistent bridge. She calls it “forbidden company” at one point, so would this have been adultery?

This is definitely Monroe’s least country moment to date, not really going completely in favor of pop country, but mostly adding that East Nashville vibe which has become even more cliché in independent and lesser-known mainstream music than Luke Bryan singing about tailgates. Not saying it doesn’t work on this song because it’s actually produced quite well, but it’s been done to death, and if her whole album is like this, it will be a shame to see such a traditional voice being used for more polished and modern music. For now, though, it does fit this song, and this is definitely a better start than “On to Something Good” was for The Blade. Promising song overall, and I look forward to her album.

Written by: Ashley Monroe, Jon Randall