These days, I’ve been finding myself comparing quite a few
groups’ sounds to that of country-rockers The Bottle Rockets. While
it might not be fair to any of the groups to make such a
comparison, it is meant often as words of high praise. The merging
of the two styles of music, even throwing touches of folk or even
bluegrass into the mix, seems to create its own unique monster –
and one whose sound is infectious.
The V-Roys, a group who cut their teeth behind Steve Earle, is
one such band. Their recent release
All About Town is, quite simply, a damned great disc thst
you’d be a fool not to pick up.
The band – vocalist/guitarist Scott Miller, vocalist/guitarist
Mic Harrison, bassist/pianist Paxton Sellers and drummer Jeff Bills
– plow through twelve cuts that run the gamut from
skating-on-the-line alternative to down-home country, all the while
making the transitions seamless. That is something that takes a lot
of skill, and The V-Roys have it.
With a generous supply of guest musicians – including Earle
himself – the band gets things rolling quickly with “The Window
Song,” a number that, if life were fair, would be getting loads of
airplay on cutting-edge radio stations (you listening, WXRT-FM?).
When The V-Roys have a unique rock flavor to their music – “The
Window Song”, “Amy 88” – one could easily see them continuing in
that direction, and having great success with it.
But their style of music just doesn’t allow them to pigeonhole
themselves in one particular genre (similar to The Jayhawks), and
they cross the line between rock and country (“Miss Operator”,
“Arianne”, “Mary”) flawlessly. Even the folk sounds of “Virginia
Way” melting into the all-out bluegrass stomp of “Shenandoah
Breakdown” is as natural as watching a spring rain fall. (And, if
you didn’t get enough of the bluegrass, “Shenandoah Breakdown” is
tacked on as an uncredited reprise after “Fade Away”.)
Complaints? Well, there’s only one – this disc clocks in at just
over 36 minutes. And while the songs on this disc are above
reproach, there could have been more of them. I mean, just when
you’re really getting sucked into the vortex – blam! – the CD ends.
Sure, it leaves you wanting more, but it’s almost not fair to leave
your mouth watering like that.
The V-Roys are a band who are destined for greatness, even if
the fickle record-buying public doesn’t latch onto their particular
type of music as the next commercial trend. Even so,
All About Town is an early sign of things to come, and is a
remarkable disc.
