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On the Shelf 181: Old 97s
May. 12th, 2017 07:19 amThe Old 97s were one of the prominent bands in the 1990s Americana/alt-country movement. As a fan, I always have felt they should have been bigger. Contemporaries and followers who the band were as good as or better all seemed to have their day in the spotlight: Wilco, Spoon, Drive By Truckers, Ryan Adams, Jason Isbell.
One suspects the band could possibly feel the same way, or perhaps their other factors, but Graveyard Whistling feels geared towards a commercial breakthrough attempt. It is no worry, the bands 90's albums are near perfect, and since 2008, they have hit another span of great music. Five albums in the last decade and you could call each one a must have. (I would also make a strong case for the last three studio albums from Rhett Miller recorded in this same time, which is a quite a chunk of good music in a short time).
Whistling does feel slightly different, in that the band has made such great hits effortlessly. It reflects that too, but it seems to be written in such a way that every song on the album could be a radio single. The most obvious being the Brandi Carlisle duet "Good with God" (which indeed do pretty well in the adult alternative space). One suspects the pairing with new producer Vance Powell is also part of that. His credits include bands that have been very successful in that space- White Stripes, Raconteurs, Elle King, the Revivalists, Chris Stapelton, Sturgill Simpson, and even Buddy Guy and Willie Nelson.
With a hip producer and big name cameos as a start, each song is a big time country rock song. To make the baseball analogy though, when you are swinging for the fences, you may hit home runs, but you may also hit long fly balls that fall a bit short. In an unexpected way, the ambition on this record seems to be its only failing.
Indeed, I am not saying this isn't a great album. It is. It is actually a great album. However, in comparison to the post-reunion records, one could make a strong argument that this one is the least. This may only because the bar was set so high on '08's Blame it on the Gravity and 2014's Most messed Up with its Replacementsisms is hard to deny.
In any case, this is well worthwhile, and if your preference is loud, you may disagree with me and rate it even higher. if you don't know the band, then this also makes a great starting point.
One suspects the band could possibly feel the same way, or perhaps their other factors, but Graveyard Whistling feels geared towards a commercial breakthrough attempt. It is no worry, the bands 90's albums are near perfect, and since 2008, they have hit another span of great music. Five albums in the last decade and you could call each one a must have. (I would also make a strong case for the last three studio albums from Rhett Miller recorded in this same time, which is a quite a chunk of good music in a short time).
Whistling does feel slightly different, in that the band has made such great hits effortlessly. It reflects that too, but it seems to be written in such a way that every song on the album could be a radio single. The most obvious being the Brandi Carlisle duet "Good with God" (which indeed do pretty well in the adult alternative space). One suspects the pairing with new producer Vance Powell is also part of that. His credits include bands that have been very successful in that space- White Stripes, Raconteurs, Elle King, the Revivalists, Chris Stapelton, Sturgill Simpson, and even Buddy Guy and Willie Nelson.
With a hip producer and big name cameos as a start, each song is a big time country rock song. To make the baseball analogy though, when you are swinging for the fences, you may hit home runs, but you may also hit long fly balls that fall a bit short. In an unexpected way, the ambition on this record seems to be its only failing.
Indeed, I am not saying this isn't a great album. It is. It is actually a great album. However, in comparison to the post-reunion records, one could make a strong argument that this one is the least. This may only because the bar was set so high on '08's Blame it on the Gravity and 2014's Most messed Up with its Replacementsisms is hard to deny.
In any case, this is well worthwhile, and if your preference is loud, you may disagree with me and rate it even higher. if you don't know the band, then this also makes a great starting point.
