REVEW: Lake Street Dive “Good Together” 

Lake Street Dive – Good Together 

In our Americana world, we don’t really “do” feel-good music. As BJ Barham sings in American Aquarium’s “Starts With You” – “Baby, them sad songs/Are the only things that make me happy.” But. after enough spins of Isbell’s “Elephant” or Lucinda Williams’ “Jackson,” even the most dour amongst us needs a lift. That’s where Lake Street Dive comes in. The eternally upbeat Boston-founded band is known for their catchy songs, their high-energy live shows and their singular lead singer, Rachael Price. The band’s latest album, Good Together, finds joy and meaning even in busted-up relationships and personal struggles. The band that penned the happiest heartbreak song ever (“Good Kisser”) refuses to let you stay down for long.

Good Together leads off with the title track, a sunny, synthy portrayal of two erstwhile romantic cads, played in a back-and-forth by Price and keyboard player Akie Bermiss, who find themselves staring at a meaningful relationship for the first time in the lives – “I don’t know if it’s right but I know I’m having fun/This might be the first good thing I’ve done.” “Dance With a Stranger” is up next. With a beat dropped straight off mid-80s pop radio – and inspired by a square dance that bassist Bridget Kearney happened upon during a writing retreat – the sing-along tune encourages engaging that hottie across the room “‘Til they’re not a stranger anymore.”

Lake Street Dive has made a line-up change since 2021’s Obviously, with longtime guitarist Mike “McDuck” Olson replaced by James Cornelison. The new guy’s contributions show up in tunes like “Far Gone,” with Cornelison providing an excellent riff to counter Kearney’s deep groove (Kearney is seriously undervalued as one of rock’s best bass players). And Price still knows her way around a ballad – the piano-led thinker “Twenty-Five” trades youthful experiences for what hopefully becomes wisdom – “Although the stories that I tell myself about us now/Don’t take me to the grave/I’ll be an old woman with somebody else by my side.” Price can belt ‘em out with the best of ‘em, but here she dials it down while considering the impact of past loves – “But all of the joy we had and love we gave away back then/Well, it never went to waste.”

Ultimately, Lake Street Dive lives to bring the good times. Especially after a rare downer like “Twenty-Five,” it’s even more important to up the tempo, and “Party On the Roof” does just that. By turns synthy and brassy, the song celebrates parties from the fields of Tennessee to the, well, rooftops of New York. Following the rhythms of the city – “I hear church bells in the morning/Call to Prayer in the afternoon” – until it’s time to celebrate with a bodega beer and friends and strangers alike. And, if the self-appointed DJ on that rooftop knows what they’re doing, they’ll be spinning some Lake Street Dive late into the evening.

Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Seats at the Bar” – this dreamy number celebrates a personal favorite – eschewing the linen-covered dining room for the comfort, conviviality and closeness found at the bar: “No I don’t care where we are/’Cause it’s always been/You and me, feeling free/Knee to knee, heart to heart.”

Good Together was produced by Mike Elizondo. Lake Street Dive is Rachael Price (vocals), Bridget Kearney (bass, background vocals), Mike Calabrese (drums, background vocals), Akie Bermiss (keyboards, vocals) and James Cornelison (guitars, background vocals).

Go here to order Good Together (out June 21): https://lakestreetdive.shop.redstarmerch.com/

Check out tour dates here: https://www.lakestreetdive.com/#tour

Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Capsule Summary, Lucy Dacus, Lake Street Dive, Brothers Osborne, Erika Wennerstrom