Monday, July 8, 2013

New Review!!

Brand New Review of Rattle My Faith!

CD REVIEW by Mick Kolassa, The Blues Man.
Wineskins: Rattle My Faith

When seeking for a simple way to describe this offering from the Wineskins one thought came to my mind: Rage against the Machine meets Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Southern folk rock musicians with a social conscience and an abiding love of their home, the Wineskins celebrate their Southern heritage while pointing out its flaws. The album opens with references to a Mississippi River Boat, "One Long, Two Short" and "Six Miles an Hour," this is a great introduction to the band and their sensibility: reverence for the part of the world from which they hail. It closes with similar references while letting the uninformed in on some of the secrets in the songs.

The song New Reservation is a great new take on an old story – the mistreatment of Native Americans. This tune is a musical treat, combining Native American and military rhythms and other musical sensibilities for a truly original piece. This is followed by Rain, which is great example of a writer dealing with pain. One line: "He could punch a hole in the sky and watch it bleed" evokes anger and confusion at the same time, there is some damn fine poetry in this piece. This is a song about the need for redemption and Keith More, the writer, practices his craft exceptionally well here.

Turkeys in a Drizzle is another retelling of an old story – that TV rots your brain. But like most of the tunes on this CD, you can simply listen to it musically and be fulfilled but when you listen closely there are well told stories and well crafted messages in the lyrics – a pretty delightful combination.

Two songs taken together, They Cross the Line and Southern Moon, struck me as the perfect antidote to Sweet Home Alabama (a song that I believe still requires an apology to thinking people). These two pieces are 100% Southern, but they speak of the things we don't utter outside of the family. They present a small morality play and speak of issues such as prejudice and injustice as only true concerned Sons of the South can, not stooping to Yankee stereotypes of the South but more of an intervention with a loved one. I hit repeat several times when listening to these two.

The only downside to this CD is that it contains 20 tracks, and each is cleverly written and well structured. I say that is a downside because you feel like you want to keep listening to this as a whole, and that is a pretty sizable investment in time. But, taken in a single long dose or in several pieces, one or two tunes at a time, Rattle My Faith is worth that investment if you care to hear some well crafted tunes while also thinking deeply.

You can find the CD at Amazon, iTunes, CDBABY, or the band's website,www.wineskinsmusic.com

No comments: