ARTiST: The John Henrys
ALBUM: Sweet As The Grain
BiTRATE: 219kbps avg
QUALiTY: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.97 Final / -V2 --vbr-new / 44.100Khz
LABEL: 9lb Records / Universal
GENRE: Folk/Rock
SiZE: 72.31 megs
PLAYTiME: 0h 44min 04sec total
RiP DATE: 2009-02-21
STORE DATE: 2009-02-20
Track List:
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01. Sweet As The Grain 5:19
02. Lost In The Canyon 5:59
03. Padawadamie 2:30
04. Ain't Gonna Drink No More 2:13
05. Thought Yourself Lucky 3:16
06. New Years 3:45
07. Truth Be Told (Inez) 3:52
08. No More Rock N Roll 2:19
09. Eldorado 4:35
10. Angel 3:00
11. Ugly Town 3:13
12. Golden Train 4:03
Release Notes:
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A few weeks ago I threw together some thoughts on the talented roots outfit
known as The John Henrys. On the surface, the Ottawa band's sound might seems as
familiar as the legend from which they took their name and whether you prefer
Gram Parsons, The Flying Burrito Boys, or something more modern like Ryan Adams,
easy comparisons can be made to sound the quintet creates.
But as so often is the case with a tried and true fable or over referenced
legend, most of the truth is usually lost in the telling. Sure, the JHs may
prefer sounds that originated in the 60's and 70's and could be seen as a modern
day take on the man versus machine (roots versus electro fused, ADD anthems)
analogy, but calling the John Henry's a nostalgic throwback to a time long since
gone is just wrong. Simply describing them as some carbon copy combination of
the bands all too often used to describe them would be as pointless as some
spindly arm wimp trying to drive a rail spike into the ground.
The re-release of Sweet As the Grain has helped ensure the band's dusty trail
anthems don't fester on AM radio stations and tired old jukeboxes. Lost in the
Canyon shimmers and the band freshens up the roots sounds with feedback and
solos, but never sacrifices the song's authenticity. You never feel like these
guys found their cowboy shirts at Walmart or a vintage store and as a result,
they connect with the listener as they dare you not to close your eyes and sing
along to songs like New Years or Angel.
But the biggest surprise is how the record drifts from alt-country to R&B so
effortlessly. Padawadamie shifts the breezy tone of the first two songs into a
more uptempo saunter and the guitar that on Eldorado and Golden Train could have
been found a home in a Marty McFly/Marvin Berry's jam sesh. The surf guitar they
throw on Thought Yourself Lucky is as unexpected a twist as you can imagine, but
somehow doesn't feel out of place on the R&B number but even with all these
styles they have the chops to bring you back with traditional folk picking (like
they do on the anti-drinking ditty, I Ain't Gonna Drink No More).
The songs have taken on new life, largely a result of the peers the band have
toured with over the last two years. The alt-country scene in Canada is as
successful as ever, and The John Henry's have benefited from the guidance of
acts like Cuff the Duke and the Sadies. The end result is that the John Henry's
found a way to stride passed every assumption you might have had, but so
smoothly and subtly that you never feel out of your comfort zone.
All in all, outside of Justin Rutledge's effort, I don't think I've heard a
better Canadian roots record so far this year.