Breakfield
In the process of reviewing the self-titled album from Breakfield, I went back to listen to their last record, Dusk, released under their previous name, Boy Named Banjo. Dusk struck me as something released by a band exactly in the place Boy Named Banjo was occupying at the time; sleek, uptempo and likable, perfect for opening for bigger established acts. Along with the name change, though (and a good one), the quartet, led by songwriters and vocalists Wiliam Reames and Barton Davies, decided they wanted to get a little dirtier for their fourth record. They hit the studio with producer/guitar ace Sadler Vaden and came out with a more spontaneous sound and sharper-edged storytelling. Breakfield has the freshly-named band ready to occupy their own space on the country music spectrum.
The best quality of Boy Named Banjo was their ability to go anthemic, and they hit that target here with Breakfield’s first track, “Canyon Walls.” The big, riffy intro, with guitars from Vaden and Reames and banjo from Davies, gives way to full harmonies and fresh purpose – “For so long I couldn’t hear a sound/But it’s all coming back to me now.” “Ever-Loving Mind,” with a nice banjo-fiddle (via Eli Fox) bridge, might ostensibly be a throw-caution-to-the-wind love song, but it also reads as a choice of new direction – “‘Cause I don’t wanna think this through/I wanna dive in headfirst blind.”
Vaden’s guitar contributions throughout Breakfield are (no surprise) both sublime and tasteful, from a solo in the uptempo country weeper “Straight for Heartbreak” (co-penned by Katie Pruitt) to the Southern-fried twin guitars (joined by Breakfield’s bass player, Ford Garrard) on “Angel 41.” But the strength of the band lies in its tight four-man core. “Pull Some Strings” best shows off Davies’ banjo chops in a good ol’-fashioned heartbreak tale – “A record split in two, the other half is you/There ain’t no spinning it back to start/No matter what I do, it’s the same old tune.” And “Rivers Run” shines with Reames/Davies harmonies on a lazy day love song – “When the rain starts to fall/I want you to know/That river’s gonna run/But I won’t.” LIke many of the songs on Breakfield, it just feels like the great outdoors – too big to be kept inside. If you’re looking for a summer soundtrack record, this might just be it.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Darker Out Tonight” – It starts with an acoustic riff from Reames, but this exquisitely-phrased kiss-off – “If I wanted someone to break my heart/I’d see you again” – goes from false ending to an excellent coda featuring a biting Vaden guitar solo.
Breakfield was produced by Sadler Vaden, recorded by Bobby Holland, mixed by Matt Ross-Spang and mastered by Paul Blakemore. Songs written by Barton Davies and William Reames, with co-writing credits going to Meg McRee, Ben Chapman, Sadler Vaden, Will Hoge, Jon Sherwood, Adam James, Ben Simonetti, Katie Pruitt and Pat McGlaughlin. Breakfield is William Reames (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica), Ford Garrard (bass, electric guitar), Sam McCullough (drums) and Barton Davies (vocals, banjo). Additional musicians on the album include Sadler Vaden (12-string guitar, electric guitar, drums, bass), Eli Cox (fiddle, pedal steel) and Kristen Weber (fiddle).
Go here to order/stream Breakfield (out June 12):
https://rounder.com/collections/breakfield
https://ffm.to/breakfieldalbum
Check out tour dates here: https://breakfieldband.com/#tour