The Americana genre could well have evolved out of THE RED
ALBUM by Red Molly. This potpourri of American roots music is wonderfully sang,
exquisitely played and superbly assembled. It strikingly disproves the theory
that different styles can be accommodated without being mastered. Listen
carefully, which is mandatory, and influences of blues, rock, soul, jazz,
country, folk, gospel and pop can be detected, all capturing the true spirit of
Americana.
Red Molly has been in existence for ten years with the
present trio being in place since 2010 when Molly Venter (guitar) joined Laurie
MacAllister (bass) and Abbie Gardner (dobro). This latest release hit their
home stateside market in late spring and gets its formal UK introduction on
August 25. The added bonus for old and new fans alike is that the band are due
to make their inaugural UK visit in October for a series of live dates and seal
this welcome expansion into our market.
Produced in Nashville under the guidance of former Wilco and
Uncle Tupelo drummer Ken Coomer, the girls have settled on a winning formula of
eight originals and five covers of which the self writes match up exceedingly
well against the more established numbers. The two most recognisable covers
reflect the different ends of the folk spectrum as the works of Richard
Thompson and Simon and Garfunkel are celebrated. Their version of ‘1952 Vincent Black Lightning’ is long
overdue for a band basing their name on a character from the lyrics and the
bluegrass makeover with a stunning dobro intro does this destiny song full
justice. ‘Homeward Bound’ is a
conservative song to cover but a slight pause on the main chorus line and
gorgeous vocals give this version credibility.
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| Photo by Whitney Kidder |
Rather than dwell too much on the excellent covers, let’s
focus more on the originals which have primarily come from the pen of Molly and
Abbie. The record contains a pair of fantastic songs Abbie has written on the
back of the Real Women-Real Songs project. ‘You
Don’t Have The Heart For It’ is the Red Molly take on classic country and
with stellar pedal steel, this tear jerker works to a tee. ‘Lay Your Burden Down’ is the other track, with a gospel flavour
and inspirational qualities. Molly herself excels on three solo writing contributions
including the rock n’ soul sounding ‘My
Baby Loves Me’, ‘I Am Listening’ with its indie pop vibes and the tender
harmonious ballad ‘Sing To Me’.
Several other key artists in the Americana world feature in
the writing with Jonathon Byrd teaming up with Abbie to pen the jazzy blues
sassy number ‘When It’s All Wrong’,
while the Mark Erelli song ‘Pretend’
has all the show time trappings complete with brass. You won’t go far wrong
with the inclusion of a Daryl Scott song and, with its excellent guitar accompaniment
and folk Americana sound, ‘With a Memory
Like Mine’ creates its own niche on the record.
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| Photo by Whitney Kidder |
Hopefully by now the flavours of this record are starting to
fill the air and the final three tracks to mention each make their own mark on
the album. ‘Willow Tree’ is a co-write between
Molly and Eben Pariser while another gospel influenced song opens the album in
the A.J. Roach penned ‘Clinch River Blues’.
Just when you think that the ‘a cappella’ style has been left out, the
girls ditch the instruments for the final song and let their harmonies drool
over ‘Copper Ponies’.
The excellent sleeve notes accompanying this release really
help you understand what Red Molly are all about and extensive listens to THE
RED ALBUM confirm why they are held in such esteem back in the US. This record is
a joy to be acquainted with and the band’s long overdue venture into the UK
market will be one of the autumn highlights.
