You would never guess that the outfit responsible for the tropical, breezy island sounds of Tides Are Rising is from Ohio. Like many young groups, Joe Moorhead and his band played houses, venues and festivals while building up their following one fan at a time. However, unlike many bands, they don’t take themselves too seriously; instead, they are focused on the lighter side of life, all while making music best suited for laying in a hammock with a frosty drink in your possession and the sunset on the horizon.
Going over the track names gives you a good idea of what’s to come, and even the tune “Bad Day,” with its heavy island influence, doesn’t seem to coincide with having a bad day at all. This happy-go-lucky theme continues throughout the disc, from the piano-driven love song “What Good Could Come,” to the soothing ballad feel of “Blue.” Where the album really shines is the flowing guitar solos and breezy sound of “Drinks In Our Hands,” which is reminiscent of G. Love & Special Sauce. Other highlights include “Sunshine Driving” and “Lord Knows I’m Trying,” both of which are fuller tunes, moving away from his acoustic prowess. Similarly, “The Stars” takes a different path into a modern pop rock tune where pianos guide the way and sounds like it could be on any adult contemporary station.
This disc is consistently strong; near the end, “Revolution” is percussive led, “Old Soul” is a playful jam, “What Good Could Come” benefits from keys and “Two A.M.” closes it out in trumpets, fittingly ending on the same tropical feeling the album started with.
If you reside in an area that is still trying to thaw out from the brutal winter, Tides Are Rising will easily plant visions of white sand beaches, warm temperatures and sipping drinks out of a coconut into your mind. Plenty of albums will claim to be the feel good record of the year, but this one just might actually be it.
