The release of SHADOWLANDS signals the end of Romantica’s
lengthy hiatus and the added good news is that At The Helm Records have stepped
in to make this album readily available in the UK. This development is buoyed by
the distinguished nature of this hefty release which weighs in at fifty nine
minutes and fourteen tracks. Any trepidation of a record of such length
struggling to entirely engage is sent packing after a couple of listens. Maybe
the content is a mix of growers and those with an instant impact, but Ben Kyle
has done a tremendous job in channelling so much determination, skill and
guidance into a record packed with endless high points.
In the interim years since Romantica’s last album in 2009,
Ben has been active in releasing a duet record with Carrie Rodriguez. In fact a
UK tour around the time of that release saw Ben and Luke Jacobs play a set of
Romantica songs in support of Carrie. Luke has since cemented his relationship
with Carrie on many fronts, leaving Ben to arrange a new gathering of musicians
to get SHADOWLANDS out. The result is an irresistible landscape soundtrack,
forever etched in the Minnesota environment with the vocals retaining a Celtic
trim to reflect Ben’s Irish heritage. For genre junkies the sound is a blend of
folk rock and alt-country with a significant singer-songwriter sensibility
streak.
Background information suggests that the album’s content has
been strengthened by enhanced life experience and the passing of time. Whether
viewing life from a macro or micro perspective, the song writing is spot on.
The deeply personal and highly nostalgic sits well with the observational
astute and if you’re looking for a sound element to die for there is plenty of
weeping steel. In essence this album lands on the listener with a buzzing glow
and its compulsive hooks serenade a steely core.
For me there is one track that stands head and shoulders
above the rest and not just being a lyrical sucker for hearing Nashville and
Louisville in the first verse. ‘Lonely
Star’ rolls out to proclaim a profound metaphorical message with the analogy
that Texas is not just the sole domain of the aforementioned song title. Pushing
this song hard is the pumped up passion applied to the beautiful ‘Give Your Heart a Shelter’, a track that
explodes like a shooting start in its final throes.
For some third person musings, the tribute to Gram Parsons in
‘Cecil Ingram Conor’ (named in honour
of Gram’s pre-recording name) and the poignant piece titled ‘Buffalo Bill’ come up trumps. The latter
almost unravels as an open letter and like so many tracks on the album is
decorated with some atmospheric steel. A fourth track responsible for leaving
those favourable first impressions is the light hearted album closer ‘Shandy Bass’, a fiercely nostalgic
composition no doubt drawing inspiration from Ben’s Irish upbringing.
Outside this leading quartet are a series of highly merited
tracks beginning with album opener ‘Let
The Light Go Through You’ which gets the record off to a simmering start. ‘Get Back in Love’ sees Ben score a
maximum in the stakes of penning a heartfelt love song, while ‘St. Paul City Lights’ takes the sound deepest
into a country direction. To give the album a wider Americana feel, a wave of
West Coast influence occasionally drifts in, most notably on ‘Nobody Knows’. This airy feel helps the
album paint a picture and contrasts neatly with the increased tempo of offerings
like ‘Blue Heart’.
Perhaps the true depth to this album is excavating some of
the tracks which require a little more endeavour such as the imagery
surrounding ‘Here It Comes’ and the
message buried in ‘Harder to Hear’. ‘We Were Young’ and ‘After the War’ also fall into this category and complete the
line-up of an album that begins to form the credentials of a mini epic with a
large degree of multi-facetted content.
While there will be likeminded albums released this year
from some big hitting artists, SHADOWLANDS gives Romantica the perfect vehicle to
compete and ultimately muscle into contention for serious acclaim. Perhaps a
defining feature is the way that the vocals are ground into the song emotion
making it a release full of gutsy eloquence. A slice of purple and green reflect
the sources that ultimately inspire Ben Kyle fuelling a record that heralds a
successful recording return for Romantica.
www.romanticamusic.com
