Wild Ponies – Dreamers
This album opens with a dark melody & the intriguing voice of Telisha Williams who has just enough echo on her voice to add presence & not effects. “Band of Cardinals” has lots of spirit & polish. What makes this country-folk-oriented music vivid is its broad thicket of mood & atmosphere. It isn’t always evident in this kind of music. It retains an organic grace, but the duo isn’t afraid of swimming in a musical pool deeper than most.
Produced by singer-songwriter Brandy Zdan the eleven Doug & Telisha Williams pieces on Dreamers (Drops Aug 23/No Evil Records/41:57) explore what exists beyond the traditional nuclear family & the experiences they’ve faced being gay & becoming foster parents in TN. The duo has released 5 albums over the last two decades.
Stepping away from any traditional country temptation Doug Williams steps up with “Morning Comes,” a composition written by Doug & Telisha with John Hadley & the late David Olney. The tune is haunting in its beauty & Doug sings it with poignancy.
Telisha returns with “Bury the Young,” which possesses a retro guitar sound from the Bakersfield country music era rather than the Nashville environs. A Sonny James-Buck Owens-type rouse without the hokum. It’s nicely performed, determined & catchy. She has a vocal attractiveness that’s rooted in Americana but at the same time weaves its way through a Stevie Nicks-type pop charm. Quite likable.
This is a talented duo who sound good together like a latter-day Clive Gregson-Christine Collister (“Blessing In Disguise”). Together they have acute instincts for good music & how to perform it. They don’t feel the need to go novelty or controversial to catch mass attention or sing with silliness & go sweet. Their songs are mature & well-written & I appreciate their maturity in a genre that can go snarky & nonsensical. “Breathe” is intense & beautiful & those two words usually don’t go together.
As for fun – “Hurt Your Heart” sounds a bit respectfully retro – as if it was inspired mildly by the vocalizations of the Everly Brothers. This is about as humorous as this duo gets & when they perform something this entertaining it’s to be admired. With “Heartbeat,” Doug sings smooth & distinguished, but the musical “sound” suggests the vivid John Martyn folky style had John’s more raw voice been applied. This song is far more serious than average country songs.
Highlights – “Band of Cardinals,” “Morning Comes,” “Bury the Young,” “Breathe,” “Hurt Your Heart,” “Dreamers,” “Heartbeat” & “Night Sky.”
Musicians – Doug (vocals/guitars/acoustic guitar), Telisha (vocals/upright bass), Ellen Angelico (guitars), Ross McReynolds (drums), Fats Kaplin (pedal steel/banjo/strings), Joshua Grange (pedal steel), The Sea The Sea (Chuck & Mira Costa – harmony vocals) & Brandy Zdan (harmony vocals).
Color image courtesy of Laura Schneider. CD @ https://www.wildponies.net/
