The Steeldrivers – Outrun
This is a finely tuned 20-year-old Grammy-winning bluegrass band. They open with a prickly, dark bluegrass tune in the title track “Outrun.” It’s wonderfully constructed & itemizes all the things you can’t outrun – like the grim reaper. The group doesn’t stop with the grim reaper but even mentions Jekyll & Hyde in “The River Knows,” which is steeped in the light bluegrass pickings in a mix of myth & legend. This band has found a niche in an old genre that works well & they have the voices too. The two aggressive yet musical lead male vocals sing together with the formidable female voice of musician Tammy Rogers (fiddle).
“I’m just here for the booze & cigarettes,” is a tantalizing line that crops up in the aptly titled “Booze & Cigarettes.” Bluegrass was always just a cousin of Country music, but on tunes like these, bluegrass has become the Country norm today. The tunes have a bravura, a twist & cleverness that is not, today, evident in mainstream Country. That genre has slid into a heavily cliched suit that doesn’t always fit comfortably. But, while The Steeldrivers are not a tuxedo on the genre, they certainly are a 3-piece suit with denim shirts.
11 hell-raising tunes will carry you along on Outrun (Dropped May 23/Sun Records/42:24) – a self-produced drummer-less effort that at times has the energy, vocal creativity & lyrical circuitry of The Band.
“Cut You Down” sounds like a song that the late Richard Manuel would’ve loved to have sung. There are elements of country fiddle, but never played in a hokey manner. These are strikingly good songs with every song distinctive; the vocal arrangements are high-spirited. It is almost as if they all sang at one time in a church choir or just a good vocal group. “Prisoner’s Tears” is focused on that element of vocal expertise.
This is the beginning of a new era with the resurrected Sun Records label (home of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison & Jerry Lee Lewis) with a new coat of musical paint. If they’re kicking down the doors with The Steeldrivers, then they’re bound to be a success.
The LP is loaded with songs that could lasso a chart hit (“You Should See The Other Guy”) – the enthusiasm, humor in their voices are augmented with savvy words & arrangements. Hey, I’m from New York City & if my toe taps to this music — this is good stuff. There’s a 12th cut (“On My Way”) not listed on my CD. Did I spoil a surprise? Oh, well. It’s a bonus.
Highlights – “Outrun,” “The River Knows,” “Booze & Cigarettes,” “Cut You Down,” “Prisoner’s Tears,” “Painted & Poison,” & “You Should See The Other Guy.”
Musicians – Matt Dame (guitar/vocals), Michael Fleming (bass/vocals), Brent Truitt (mandolin) & Richard Bailey (banjo).
Color image courtesy of the band’s Bandcamp site. CD @ https://thesteeldriversband.bandcamp.com/album/outrun
