There has been a buzz about Western Centuries in roots
circles for a while and this is set to escalate in the jet stream of their
second album release. SONGS FROM THE DELUGE draws its inspiration from a core
country sound etched around the edges with shades of Cajun and soul. The movers
and shakers around the collaboration that takes the name ‘western’ quite
literally in terms of style include producer Joel Savoy, an artist steeped in
Cajun lineage, and three songwriters noted for their work in other musical
projects. The best known here of these is Cahelen Morrison, who has toured
overseas in a duo format with Eli West. Fellow Seattle resident Ethan Lawton,
who was heavily involved with the stellar work of Zoe Muth, joins Cahelen. The core trio of the band is completed by New
York City based Jim Miller. The irony of the trio honing in on a very southern
sound from their bases in northern cities, albeit thousands of miles apart, is
not lost, although the execution is rip roaring country music at its finest.
This theme explodes in the album’s stand-out track with ‘Own Private Honky Tonk’ suggesting that taking
a spin around those wooden boards need not be solely reliant on the close
proximity of an old time southern dance hall. Indeed, you can replace the south
and west with Seattle and New York, or anywhere in the world in the sentiment
of the song. In tune with much of the album, this number rattles along at a
chipper pace making use of the some super pedal steel; the driving instrumental
force on the record. Pushing this song to the limit among the twelve-track
offering is the sublime ‘Earthly Justice’,
with the sound drifting into Eagles territory. For a greater heartbreaker angle,
‘Rocks and Flame’ shapes up nicely as
the band prove they can lower the tempo effectively when a breather is
required.
The album gets its release on Free Dirt Records, who have an
impressive past and present roster including Pokey LaFarge and Dori Freeman.
Following the success of the former in securing a loyal fan base overseas, it
would be interesting to see the extent that Western Centuries are promoted outside
the US, and build upon a few dates over here last year. Targeted press is
underway, but a tour would be the most exciting prospect because every
indication points to a sizzling live show.
The presence of Savoy has not led to his Cajun heritage
effect taking over fully, but some exciting fiddle and accordion pieces like in
album opener ‘Far From Home’ add more
than a little sprinkling of Louisiana. The vocals do frequently lean in a
soulful direction and the deepest foray into this style exists most prominently
in ‘How Many More Miles to Babylon’.
To ensure a fresh appeal lasts to the final throes of the album, a dip into
Spanish language vocals in the closing track ‘Warm Guns’ takes the album breathtakingly deep into border land,
probably the furthest you can get from the Pacific North West or the Eastern
Seaboard.
Running the full course of a 50-minute duration creates a
comprehensive package that succeeds in keeping the listener actively involved,
although a slightly more compact presentation could have been successful in
leaving folks yearning for more. SONGS FROM THE DELUGE is an album that demands
many repeat plays and has put down a marker as the year’s leading toe-tapping
release at the end of the first quarter. It will certainly take a very good
record to knock it off this mantle, but any high quality challengers are more
than welcome as this type of country music can never have too many excellent
practitioners. Western Centuries fall into this category and tapping into the
buzz that warrants entirely has proved a fruitful exploration after absorbing
the delights of this album.
www.westerncenturies.com
