CD REVIEW: UNSPOKEN TRADITION- ‘MYTHS
WE TELL OUR YOUNG’
BY
ROQUE LAZARUS FOR COUNTRY MUSIC NEWS INTERNATIONAL
MAGAZINE & RADIO SHOW
BAND:
UNSPOKEN TRADITION
ALBUM:
‘MYTHS WE TELL OUR YOUNG’
Released on April 19th 2019 by MOUNTAIN HOME MUSIC COMPANY
01. Nothing But Sky 2:28
02. Land-This funky 3:41
03. Force of Nature 2:35
04. Dark side of the Mountain 3:51
05. Uncharted Territory 3:20
06. I say Let’s go (Colorado) 3:48
07. Lonesome’s gonna be here 2:22
08. Light just one Candle 4:40
09. Cold Mountain Town 4:30
10. The Mountains win again 4:46
This
dynamic progressive-bluegrass band from Asheville, North Carolina comprise:
Zane
McGinnis’ banjo
Audie
McGinnis-Guitars and vocals
Lee Shuford’s – vocals and Bass
Tim
Gardener-Fiddles and vocals
Ty
Gilpin- Mandolin and Vocals
(Lee
has now been replaced by Sav Sankaran-Bass and Vocals)
01.
Nothing But Sky– There were corn fields close to
the river. There’s a whole new day around us. Banjos and fiddles in
double-time. Busy-busting through the energetic track. The singers sing in a
comfortable compass. A lovely Hold on the word ‘Sky’ culminates into a
breath-taking Outro without a fade. The surprise element is evident in the way
the track hits the listener beyond expectation!
02.
Land- Thisfunky- rhythm guitar with a catchy
semi-quaver riff on muted string stirs your emotions as the singer states with
conviction “You’ll never create land”. When he built his land in a
square corner…about the settlement. This is a revolutionary-metaphor tinged
ode to Nature and chastising destruction. ‘Man can do all kinds of things with
his machine in hand says the singer no matter how hard he tries he can’t create
land. Almost Eastern to the ears this
Bluegrass Country special takes you to a trip in the wilderness no more.
03.
Force of Nature-I always muse at the dexterity and
fluidity of the fiddlers and the Banjo-players of the West and flawlessly how
they weave through tales of the land. I said Eastern-tinged and it applies here
too this oriental-bluegrass fusion. Our loves a stronger thing and the
happiness it brings is the force of nature. Ends on a long astute note-hold on
the fiddle to show solidarity to the theme.
04.
Dark side of the Mountain– An exotic waveform rings
through the monsoon- night here as I preview this life-giving breathtaking
track. Suddenly the Sun no longer shines in the secret place on the dark side
of the mountain. Its meaning unfolds for me slowly like an Enigma. The sextuplets
exhibited in a flurry of falling pine-cones as my mind revels in the scenery so
vividly sung by the bard of the album. I always heard of Nashville harmony in
my readings and I am convinced this must be it as the finely complimenting
vocal layers. As I think suddenly there is a break-beat in a changed rhythm
ending with a surprising coda when the fun really just began!
05.
Uncharted Territory– An aimless venture to dream
into a new land where the heart will choose its path if the lover will come
along too. I get reminded of Ian Anderson’s music and Jethro Tull and these
guys are really good too. A rambling’ man finds out things he never dreamt of.
A heavy backbeat on mute-guitar makes me realize I haven’t heard a drum kit at all? I can hear a PLUCKED
DOUBLE-BASS (UPRIGHT BASS) sound but Is there some percussion? NO… I’m
missing it all along??? THE percussion must be substituted by the muting of
strings. A beautiful descending Blues-run goes shooting the sheriff like Do- si
-la -sol remisol -miredola—
06.
I say let’s go (Colorado)– Area 51 are you waiting
for these guys to visit you? A bright spark of creativity hums a voice so
soothing in my cans and yet to the backing of the busy accompaniment. Was that
a nylon guitar i just heard doing a counter-point with the vocals in the second
verse or a steel stringed guitar with the treble turned all the way down? Lee
Shuford the bassist who has written this marvelous lyric sings it in a sweet
tenor. I guess henceforth Sav Sankaran-on Bass and Vocals will fill in his
heavy Moccasins. It’s so
effective…this layering of multiple denomination of beats in simple two-pulses
which create a wide rhythmic field to choose your flowers from. Ending a lovely
tune with a clarion call to all and sundry to visit the Colorado plateau.
07.
Lonesome’s gonna be here– One thing is for sure,
this album got a theme and is stickin’ to it ferociously. The fast-paced
accompaniment on Bass, Banjo, Guitars, Fiddles, Mute-guitars led by the topping
of no-nonsense steady vocals. This song specially got some vocal phrases
interspersed by weaving killer-fillers on fiddles. The Banjos and fiddles never
fight for supremacy as both a top guns!
08.
Light just one Candle– WHAT!!! Am i really listening
to a Blue-grass Great-waltz (country-waltz) in 3/8? My first time ever cross-my
heart its a scary feelin’ bless em’ good souls six feet under! He’ll never know
and see…so light a candle for him between you and me. Sliding and bending
interludes compliment the ballad which is sung in diatonic major whist the
fillers are in pentatonic-blues scale strange but I think it suits both worlds
of the sober dearly departed and the somber living. Ty Gilpin has written this
beauty track sung passionately by Lee Shuford.
That he raised his hand and you changed your mind so you live in his
prison…enchantingly haunting lines and music here. The harmony of voxes here
is exceptional between male TENOR AND BARITONE. An ending on a Major 7th but
quickly resolving to tonic relives me from the 4th dimension.
09.
Cold Mountain Town– Who would have ever thought I
would be listening to an awful lot of bluegrass specially since Cotton-eye joe
was the only song I did ever sing and try to sequence the fiddles. This cold
mountain town is a place where streets welcome that break our hearts where
music on every street corner is free without price but a heavy cover charge as
the roads circle round and the rivers runs foul. Foul? Round? Down? Drat!! Now
with lyric available on every second website …here I am trying to decipher
the words after trying to hear them properly. I still miss the drums but these
guys seem self-sufficient as they are.
10.
The Mountains win again– (COVER OF John Popper) here comes in the Finale a song after my own
heart and at a pace after my own heart. I pick up my smile and put it in my
pocket and hold in for a while and trying not to drop it. These lyric are
finely-crafted in a simple-seeming binary form. But a good spirit can see the
brilliance of the write and the singer does great justice to the ideas encoded within
its matrix. When fiddles sound like orchestral violins they are like balm on
soothing senses! If only for a while…AHH! Audie McGinnis SINGS THIS ANTHEM
WITH A FLAIR UNCOMMON! These comes the fiddle back fiercely reclaiming its
identity as for the first time a mandolin like sounding solo edges in between
the space reserved for another enchanting acoustic guitar solo. For the
sentimental few amongst you, start listening to the album back to front if you
like ballads such as these. Re mi re do, re mi re do, re mi re do, fami re
sol…go the solfeggio strains of the fiddle
The
absence of a drum kit gives a strange but new sound to this CD and as always I
urge you to buy your copy to gift and also another to keep in your library as
good music must be appreciated and good musicians rewarded and with a special
mention to great production by the recording, mixing and mastering team. BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE
BAND-BOYS TOO!
Roque LazarusforCountry Music News International
Magazine & Radio Show
lazarusroque@gmail.com +91-8275439795