My taste in music is usually skewed straight to the sidelines of commercial success so it made for a pleasant change to listen to an album as overtly commercial as “Mayfield” by Rusty Shackle and there isn’t a song on it that could not be described as festival friendly.
The folk rock ethnicity that pervades this album was always going to be popular with the crowds at the many and myriad roots festivals that make the summer seem like a jukebox from yesterday yet there is more to this album than sixty second separated singalong choruses . Historical references do indeed lurk in the lyrics and, while that might suggest a solid adherence to the genre playbook, it is instead the obvious enthusiasm for the task of making music that gives Rusty Shackle their head start in the race for your attention and, despite being surprisingly muscular for a modern day folk rock band, melody and subtlety have not been forgotten in this band’s determined march to success.
“Mayfield” is duly best assessed as an album that could only be produced by a band who are confident almost to the point of not putting a single foot wrong with the songs, both fast and slow, demonstrating both purpose and stylistic consistency and, given my stated musical tastes, I am almost embarrassed to admit that I actually wanted to join in on the chorus of both “Calico” and “Unshakeable”. I therefore predict that a lot of people will like this album.