Over the past few years, <b>The Dustbowl Revival</b> has been making a name for itself with a vibrant mix of vintage Americana sounds. Critics have proclaimed that this eclectic eight-piece โwould have sounded utterly at home within the hallowed confines of Preservation Hall in New Orleans' French Quarterโ (Los Angeles Times) and their โupbeat, old-school, All-American sonic safaris exemplify everything shows should be: hot, spontaneous, engaging and, best of all, a pleasure to hearโ (L.A. Weekly). Rob Sheffield, in Rolling Stone, hailed them as a great band โwhose Americana swing was so fun I went back to see them again the next day.โ<br><br>...
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Over the past few years, <b>The Dustbowl Revival</b> has been making a name for itself with a vibrant mix of vintage Americana sounds. Critics have proclaimed that this eclectic eight-piece โwould have sounded utterly at home within the hallowed confines of Preservation Hall in New Orleans' French Quarterโ (Los Angeles Times) and their โupbeat, old-school, All-American sonic safaris exemplify everything shows should be: hot, spontaneous, engaging and, best of all, a pleasure to hearโ (L.A. Weekly). Rob Sheffield, in Rolling Stone, hailed them as a great band โwhose Americana swing was so fun I went back to see them again the next day.โ<br><br>
Their new eponymous album, however, finds the Los Angeles-based ensemble evolving and refining its music. Their always-joyous sound now reveals a more soulful, funky side that exudes deeper emotions and taps a more modern vibe.<br><br>
This exhilarating new sound jumps out on the albumโs opening tracks, โCall My Nameโ and โIf You Could See Me Now.โ Drummer Joshlyn Heffernan and bassist James Klopfleisch lay down a righteous groove that trumpeter Matt Rubin and trombonist Ulf Bjorlin supercharge with their big blasts of horns. This Stax-style soul builds to a pair of showstoppers: โGood Eggโ and โThe Story.โ The former is a dynamic number that showcases Liz Beebeโs sexy, full-throttled vocals as well as Bjorlinโs dirty trombone solo. On โThe Story,โ Beebe teams with band founder Zach Lupetin for an emotionally charged love song that features some infectious interplay between the horn players and the string-men (mandolinist Daniel Mark and fiddler Connor Vance).<br><br>
The albumโs first single, โBusted,โ also exemplifies the sonic leap taken by the band. Spotlighted by Beebeโs slinky jazz vocals, the song mixes traditional American music styles, like the blast of R&B horns and the in-the-pocket drums, with some inventive touches, such as a mandolin plucked like a hip-hop inspired piano, and the upright bass and fiddle played through wah-pedals. The group has said that recording โBustedโ was like a door opening for them to create something familiar yet stylistically fresh.<br><br>
Even the albumโs more acoustic number, like โDebtorsโ Prisonโ and โGot Over,โ arenโt as old-timey as they might first appear. โDebtorsโ Prisonโ initially suggests a throwback busker tune, but a closer listen reveals an all-too-contemporary ode with Lupetin singing about the struggles of trying to survive in todayโs troubled economic times. Similarly, on โGot Over,โ Lupetin delivers another modern-day portrait about a scuffed-up soul battling a whirl of problems who winds up โsitting on the kitchen floor โฆ eating all the ice cream, 2 a.m. on a Tuesday.โ Things get a little more optimistic on the sunnier, Bill Withers-inspired โHoney I Love You.โ Featuring a guest spot by multi-Grammy-winner and fellow genre-bender Kebโ Moโ, this track serves up a timeless slice of sweet, silky soul music.<br><br>
This new album reveals the band moving in an exciting new direction. Instead of Dixieland jazz and Depression-era folk songs serving as musical mile markers, this CD mines an energizing vein of soul, funk and roots-infused rock that evokes the work of Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin and classic Stax recordings, and fits the band alongside such contemporaries as Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats and St. Paul & the Broken Bones.
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