Follow-up albums can be a tricky thing. Especially when your first album is as highly regarded as You’re Dreaming, the debut album from Minneapolis brothers Page Burkum and Jack Torrey, otherwise known as The Cactus Blossoms. But the duo has yet again brought their retro pop stylings to the table with ten new original tracks and added producing duties to the equation as well. Their new release Easy Way (Walkie Talkie Records), due March 1st, features a number of special contributors including Dan Auerbach who co-wrote two tracks, plus Michael Lewis (Bon Iver, Andrew Bird) on saxophone and Joel Paterson (Devil in a Woodpile) on pedal steel.
Listening to the album, it’s easy to imagine yourself transported back in time to when the Everly Brothers were king. With a unique sound that is at home with radio hits from the 1950’s and 60’s, the Cactus Blossoms have yet again made an album worth listening to, not just as a one and done, but over and over again. From the first notes of the acoustic guitar on “Desperado” to the Doo Wop vibes of “Blue As the Ocean” the final album track, the listener is taken on a journey through the highs and lows of love. At times the tracks are melancholy, but there are also upbeat tracks like “Downtown” that make you want to get up and move. The harmonies of the brothers are every bit as stellar as they were on You’re Dreaming.
My favorite song on the album, “Got a Lotta Love,” was one of the two songs co-written by Dan Auerbach. It’s a song with simple lyrics, but could be a modern day anthem for love gone wrong. “If you don’t want me, you can’t have me. I’m not the type of guy who likes to hang around. If you can’t trust me, walk right past me. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t settle down.”
I definitely recommend this album to anyone out there, and there are several different genre-lovers it could appeal to, from those who love pop, to those who love retro songs of the 50’s and 60’s and those who want something that doesn’t sound like anything else that’s being produced right now.
The Cactus Blossoms have put out dates for their 2019 headlining tour and they can be found here:
http://www.thecactusblossoms.com/tour/index.html
You can also find the new album, Easy Way, for purchase here: https://thecactusblossoms.bigcartel.com/