Album, Single and EP Reviews


 

 

  The Finest of the Wheat by The Water Callers


The Finest of the Wheat cover art

Artist: The Water Callers
Title: The Finest of the Wheat
Catalogue Number: No catalogue number
Review Format: CD
Release Year: 2006



Old timey music. Not so much as a drum kit in. In the MTV world, this would be country music unplugged. Or perhaps something else entirely. There is something odd about these songs. They are not quite what they seem on first listen.

Curiously dramatic in delivery, these songs invoke Noel Coward - try "In the Moonlight" or "Lorraine" for example - as much as their country/folk heritage. Lyrically adept with a more than a touch of music hall about them, the Water Callers impressed us with their own quirky compositions. "Oh Kitchen" is supposedly based on a childhood poem. "So Far" had us thinking of Hoagy Carmichael rewriting a Beach Boys song. Ending on the sing a long at the county fair "Durhamite", this album certainly falls into the eclectic category.

We were not entirely sure what to make of this album. It sounds like traditional fayre with the vocals having, at times, a back to shellac feel. A throwback to times past, perhaps.  Anachronistic certainly. Worthy of your attention? We think so. Available from CD Baby.


www.thewatercallers.com
Reviewer:
Review Date: June 23 2008