Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches are an impressive batch of musicians. The band leader Nick Russo played with Paul McCartney (yes, The Beatle) while performing at Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s home. He also performed on ABC’s “Good Morning America" and appears in the Sam Mendes film “Away We Go” and the PSB Masterpiece, “The Chaperone."
Betina Hershey has worked on major productions like “West Side Story” and “Phantom of the Opera.” The other Scooches have notable resumes as well. The band released Get Us Out Of Fearland which is a mix of styles like country, folk, traditional, bluegrass, gospel, dixieland and more. It’s very organic music that feels like it’s being played by humans and not computers. The music often feels as timeless as the hills themselves. The band gets going with “Soar.” The song is infectiously positive and when Hersey sings about soaring it matches the meaning of the word. I loved the banjo and vocal harmonies but really everything was immensely enjoyable. They slow things down with “I Wish The World Knew Why” which shows a different side to the vocal talent. The vocals drip with solace and the slide guitar is so on point. It’s a beautiful song. “Get Us Out Of Fearland” felt like a political march. The vibe is very empowering which is the best way I can put it. Thanks you for taking me back to the ’40’s with “I Don't Need No Glasses.” The song drips with old school ragtime. It takes you back to a different time period, attire and all. “Dandelion” is so good. It hits upon a funky/gospel vibe. If church sounded like this everybody would be going. “A Hundred Miles” is more or less straight bluegrass while “Needed Now (Freedom)” is more rock oriented vibing on a ’70s type Fleetwood Mac type style. They continue exploring with the eastern sounding “Don't You Follow Me” and close with a joyous revival entitled “Park Song.” My only slight issue is the band never taps into a signature sound. They way they jump to very specific genres was more than impressive but think I would have a hard time recognizing a song of theirs on the radio. That being said this factor was fairly easy for me to overlook because of the exceptional production and performances. Don’t miss out on this one.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Critique/insightWe are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.
Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook
Archives
April 2024
|