Gregory Robson
07/24/08, 10:49 AM
Redfoot - Winnowing Fork
Record Label: Bad Apple Records
Release Date: November 30, 2007
Between Doghouse Records and My Morning Jacket, the Ohio River Valley music scene is doing quite well for itself. So it's no surprise that another band is hoping to make a name for itself in the much-respected scene. Enter Redfoot, a folk/country/alt-country/roots-rock/Americana band out of Bowling Green, Kentucky. They play splendid, down-home, front porch swing music; strike a mandolin, brew up some sweet tea and let’s dig into some pulled pork. If that’s too passive, get behind the wheel and twist around country roads, breezing by tobacco fields and haylofts: that’s the kind of vibe painted on Winnowing Fork. But that’s far from what this disc is about. Painted in here are songs about traveling, soldiers, salvation, romance and death; the songs represent a range of skeptical accounts of modern culture, critical views of modern churches and evoke both Flannery O’Connor and Eudora Welty.
There’s a healthy dose of Son Volt’s Jay Farrar in vocalist Cort Basham, who much like Farrar has a voice that at times can be a bit wearing, but overall works well in the genre. His delivery adds a rural bent to the songs that would falter without it. its centerpiece is acoustic guitar and bass & drums, but mandolins, banjos, lap steels and harmonica are sprinkled all over the place. Being that it's folk music at its core, the songs seem to carry a purpose - that is to say, they are written with a message in mind, and the lyrics are rich and detailed. This is most evident of “Digital Jesus,” which warns of people who use the image of God to make money, as Basham sings, “Are you the Christ of peace or the 700 Club, the Christ of money schemes or the Christ of love?"; and on “From Dirt, With Praise,” the band offers an ode to humility and being grateful for all of life’s blessings. On "Hardin Springs" childhood, fishing and nature come into play, before “fishers of men” are asked to step forward.
“Literally” is bolstered by electric guitar as it spins a yarn about judgmentalism and strict doctrine, protesting against churches who ask members to have faith without intellect. The album’s best song though is probably “The Ballad of Thomas Lynch,” a song that references crossing the Ohio River and settling down in Rome, Indiana.
Coupled with Basham’s first-rate lyrics is a band that is equally skilled at creating solid music. There’s never a hiccup or a misstep here. It’s perfectly executed, expertly played and highly effective. It’s also a refreshing change of pace from much of the music that dots the contemporary landscape of mainstream radio. Winnowing Fork is a call for attention to the flawed characters that dot the American South, and the dark places that lay waiting, on the road, and in our souls.
Gillian Welch, Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, Whiskeytown
myspace.com/redfootmusic (http://www.myspace.com/redfootmusic)
Record Label: Bad Apple Records
Release Date: November 30, 2007
Between Doghouse Records and My Morning Jacket, the Ohio River Valley music scene is doing quite well for itself. So it's no surprise that another band is hoping to make a name for itself in the much-respected scene. Enter Redfoot, a folk/country/alt-country/roots-rock/Americana band out of Bowling Green, Kentucky. They play splendid, down-home, front porch swing music; strike a mandolin, brew up some sweet tea and let’s dig into some pulled pork. If that’s too passive, get behind the wheel and twist around country roads, breezing by tobacco fields and haylofts: that’s the kind of vibe painted on Winnowing Fork. But that’s far from what this disc is about. Painted in here are songs about traveling, soldiers, salvation, romance and death; the songs represent a range of skeptical accounts of modern culture, critical views of modern churches and evoke both Flannery O’Connor and Eudora Welty.
There’s a healthy dose of Son Volt’s Jay Farrar in vocalist Cort Basham, who much like Farrar has a voice that at times can be a bit wearing, but overall works well in the genre. His delivery adds a rural bent to the songs that would falter without it. its centerpiece is acoustic guitar and bass & drums, but mandolins, banjos, lap steels and harmonica are sprinkled all over the place. Being that it's folk music at its core, the songs seem to carry a purpose - that is to say, they are written with a message in mind, and the lyrics are rich and detailed. This is most evident of “Digital Jesus,” which warns of people who use the image of God to make money, as Basham sings, “Are you the Christ of peace or the 700 Club, the Christ of money schemes or the Christ of love?"; and on “From Dirt, With Praise,” the band offers an ode to humility and being grateful for all of life’s blessings. On "Hardin Springs" childhood, fishing and nature come into play, before “fishers of men” are asked to step forward.
“Literally” is bolstered by electric guitar as it spins a yarn about judgmentalism and strict doctrine, protesting against churches who ask members to have faith without intellect. The album’s best song though is probably “The Ballad of Thomas Lynch,” a song that references crossing the Ohio River and settling down in Rome, Indiana.
Coupled with Basham’s first-rate lyrics is a band that is equally skilled at creating solid music. There’s never a hiccup or a misstep here. It’s perfectly executed, expertly played and highly effective. It’s also a refreshing change of pace from much of the music that dots the contemporary landscape of mainstream radio. Winnowing Fork is a call for attention to the flawed characters that dot the American South, and the dark places that lay waiting, on the road, and in our souls.
Gillian Welch, Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt, Whiskeytown
myspace.com/redfootmusic (http://www.myspace.com/redfootmusic)