Artist: Grant-Lee Phillips
Album: The Narrows
Bitrate: 227kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Yep Roc
Genre: Indie
Size: 93.08 megs
PlayTime: 0h 54min 12sec total
Rip Date: 2016-03-19
Store Date: 2016-03-18
Track List:
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01. Tennessee Rain 4:45
02. Smoke And Sparks 3:39
03. Moccasin Creek 2:38
04. Cry Cry 4:18
05. Holy Irons 4:34
06. Yellow Weeds 5:12
07. Loaded Gun 2:41
08. Rolling Pin 3:27
09. Taking On Weight In Hot Springs 3:40
10. Just Another River Town 4:03
11. No Mercy In July 4:41
12. San Andreas Fault 5:42
13. Find My Way 4:52
Release Notes:
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It behooves every writer who will review Grant-Lee PhillipsÆ new album The
Narrows to mention that he was Stars HollowÆs beloved Troubadour on Gilmore
Girls, so I will also mention it. I will also mention that Gilmore Girls is
being rebooted for Netflix (as most everyone with an Internet connection will
know) and that Grant-Lee Phillips will be returning to sing songs on the street
corners of Stars Hollow and annoy Taylor Dosey. The Narrows is a beautifully
produced, sepia-toned slice of Americana. Grant-Lee Phillips is a wonderful
songwriter and story teller, creating evocative moments with his words. ThereÆs
a definite sense of place on ôMoccasin Creek.ö ItÆs ôway back in the Ozarksö and
he ômight find a few arrowheads, down in the mud.ö ItÆs a trip to the ancestral
home and the mythology that comes with it. ItÆs a hit of melancholy on a hot
summer day. It cuts close to the bone for this reviewer; Phillips has perfectly
captured the area where I grew up with ôMoccasin Creek.ö Incredibly evocative,
too, is ôNo Mercy In July.ö ItÆs a quiet, visceral song. Phillips makes the
listener feel the relentless heat and the lack of rain on sunbaked days:
ôShadeÆs no shelter on days like theseö. The brushed drums are like drops of
rain on dusty ground. ThereÆs a timelessness to The Narrows. The guitar-heavy
ôTennessee Rainö is fresh and earnest, and would sound perfectly in step with
1980s college radio. ItÆs not retro, and itÆs not a pastiche, though. ItÆs
swelling and emotional and just ageless. ôHoly Ironsö is pure Americana, a Civil
War song with delicate mandolin. ItÆs emotion-filled and wonderfully moving.
ôTaking On Weight In Hot Springsö is languid and leisurely. PhillipsÆs vocals
are terrific, and the story is told in a confidential tone. ItÆs a gorgeous,
intimate tale of taking the waters and rubbing elbows with gangsters. A full
world is built in this song. ItÆs tangible. The rockabilly tinged ôLoaded Gunö
is driving, marked by desperation and freedom. Grant-Lee Phillips delivers his
rapid-fire vocals in a more hushed manner than one would imagine possible. The
Narrows is an incredibly fine return for Grant-Lee Phillips. There are stories
of the everyman here, like the rich shot of the working class of ôJust Another
River Town,ö or the people fearing ôwhen the big one comesö on the dreamy ôSan
Andreas Fault.ö His vocals are warm and exceptional and his song craft has aged
like a mellow wine.