The Blood Red Mountain Band - 'On These Waters'
Info: Dublin bluegrass and Americana five-piece The Blood Red Mountain Band released their debut album, Far From Daylight, toward the end of 2015 which went to No.1 in the iTunes Country charts. Comprised of Mark Flynn on guitar, Joeby Browne, (bass / uke), Alison Byrne (oboe), Dave Keegan on drums and Sarah May Rogers on the fiddle, five band memebers weigh in with vocals and wonderfully tight harmonies. I couldn't word the band's description of themselves any better as; 'Moonshine for your ears...Bar-brawlin' blisterin' hoedowns. Honest to goodness bluegrass love songs. All constructed from the finest country sunsets, broken hearts, and lost highways hidin' the burnt-out shells of journeys long forgotten...'
The album kicks of in earnest with second track 'All The Times', like a moody version of Dylan's 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door' the soft vocal duet gradually reaches upward to an impassioned plateau with choir in the background. Next track 'Stars From The Main Street' is the first glimpse of full-on country both vocally and with the fiddle accompaniment, a real echo back to old school authentic Southern U.S. roots.
I really enjoyed 'On These Waters' (above video) in particular, here the harmonies are completely nailed on and seemingly effortless, granted I'm no expert on this genre of music which I thoroughly enjoy but need to delve deeper into, this would reflect something close to what I would particularly enjoy in a live setting. Another highlight is the energy bursting 'My Sweet Rose', this must have been the bar-brawlin' blisterin' hoedown the band informed us of, an incessantly driven tempo and nice addition of some blues guitar riffs push you forward to a crashing finale.
'Trial' is another strong track on Far From Daylight, atmospherically it starts of like a low-key The Moody Blues number and the fiddle playing is notably sweet here as well, bizarrely it's final moments reminded me of one of the acoustic songs on Primal Scream's Screamadelica, mainly due to the gospel-style vocals. Closing track 'Catch Me When You Fall' encompasses all of the brief glimpses I caught from start to finish on this album of bands such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Band and The Allman Brothers. Ultimately The Blood Red Mountain Band have produced an album that is a fine exemplar of Irish country and Americana music that is easily accessible to someone like me, and also presents us with a group of highly talented musicians who know their music well.
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Website: http://www.thebloodreds.com/
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