By ‘Rebel’ Rod Ames There is only one thing that I can ever be certain of and that is what sounds good to my ears. Rhubarb Whiskey’s CD “Cautionary Tales” is a whimsical journey through dark, musky, smoky, dusty, gin, or in this case, whiskey soaked rooms.
Their music is heavy on the atmosphere, and is expertly performed throughout this twelve song acoustic jam consisting of fiddle, mandolin, guitar, upright bass, and accordion. There music is extremely difficult to explain, you just have to hear it, but if I had to try to describe it to someone, I’d probably say something like this –“Imagine Bill Monroe and Sid Vicious having kids together”.
I know little to nothing about them other than the fact, I love listening to their music.
“Go Away” starts out sounding like very traditional bluegrass tune until the vocals begin. They are usually a contrast within themselves, yet it seems to work for them. Their lyrics are darkly beautiful and you can practically see the passion emit from your speakers.
“Whiskey Neat” is probably my favorite tune on the record. Unfortunately, towards the end of the song they use lyrics I could never get away with playing on my radio show. Therefore, my advice would be to buy it if you want to hear one of the best drinking songs ever written.
Probably the classiest and one of the more complex tunes the record, and there are several, would be “We All Came to the Same Place”. Most of the songs are about the drinking of whiskey. This one only mentions beer, wine, and trains. It is, as is the rest of the record, rich in texture. This one also possesses beautiful harmonies to add to the atmosphere the band has, by this point, well established.
As is so often found in this genre, it is tough to select a song “you like the most”. They are all so good.
All I can say about Rhubarb Whiskey is that I can’t wait to see where they take me next time. I haven’t taken a drink in almost nineteen years. They expertly paint a picture of what it’s like to consume and to be consumed by it. Nearly every tune is a constant reminder of not only why I drank the stuff in the first place, but also why I stopped as well; yet another glorious contrast.
So go out and buy yourself a bottle of hooch (unless you are like me and can’t or shouldn’t), put this amazing album on, and get ready to take a whiskey trip. Either way, these songs promise to leave you with a euphoric feeling that will linger long after the last note is played. I ended my first listen with a simple “Wow!”
‘Rebel’ Rod says check it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment