With a cover which looks like a frame from a 1930's cartoon, ghosts do-si-do surrounded by dancing notes while a banjo and a double bass lead the party, I wonder if the music will match that playful image.
The CD does start sombrely with “Crooked Road” sounding a bit like a funeral dirge but thankfully this only lasts until the chorus which picks up the pace and rattles headlong with a warning not to come between a moonshiner and his still. With the slow verse/fast chorus arrangement, the Water Tower Bucket Boys show a clever approach to writing. All four members of the band contribute tracks and this adds to the variety on the CD with the songs being a mix - at times breakneck bluegrass, at other times slower country and swing tracks - with the odd left turn interspersed to give the listener an enjoyable whole. “Telegraph” is a stoned waltz telling the story of hanging around Berkley, while “Blackbird Picking at a Squirrel”, on the other hand, is pure thigh slapping bluegrass and “Sunday Night Roast” is trad country contrasting with “I'm Not a Stranger” which is an odd slice of Americana.
With its tight, dry (almost too dry at times) production, it sounds like the band could be in the room with you and, if it wasn't for the stereo separation, you'd think the album was recorded in a barn around one microphone hanging from the ceiling . The arrangements are simple and direct, and the interplay between the instruments highlights the skill with which they're played. Never taking themselves too seriously, this is the sound of a band enjoying themselves jamming around a camp-fire.
For once I could judge a CD by its cover.
Available from CD Baby.