| Distance Between - Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash | |
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Reviewed by Kathy Coleman
These guys are not just a kick-ass group of great country singers, they are also simply flat-out cool. I knew I liked this group from just hearing the name; I certainly have not been at all disappointed in their music, either. But when I went to their (
news web page ), I was completely won over. Their tongue-in-cheek, slightly dark humor made me a fan for life. I read, "Also, please annoy your local radio station with requests for songs from Distance Between. They probably won't play it unless they're super cool, but you may delay the playing of "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" for a few seconds, and damn it, that could save lives," and I was in heaven. These are my kinda guys.
Their second album, Distance Between is as dynamic a second album as you'd care to find. The hardcore opening track, "Monte Carlo," is an edgy post-country song that showcases lead singer Mark Stuart's matter-of-fact style. With the second track, "Hard Times," the group begins to show that they are not presenting just a straightforward traditional country album; instead, the BSOJC are angling toward a more genre-less sound. This is the sort of music that makes the people who love to use narrow categories scream in frustration. This music is country, but it's not country; it's rock, but it's not rock. It's a little of both, and a lot of neither. It's a rich roots-sound that sounds nothing like roots music. The title track, "Distance Between," has a classic rock feel, that sound that drives such performers as Springsteen, Mellencamp, Young, or Earle. The masterful drumming of Joey Galvin pulses through these songs, reminding us of what music played by real musicians (instead of drum machines) sounds like, a
compliment to Deane Coate's light but superb touch on the lead guitar, Clark Stacer's bass and Stuart's acoustic and vocals.
To give a nod to their "natural father" (who does acknowledge them, although they aren't REALLY his by blood), the Bastard Sons do one cover here, giving us a new look at the perpetual country classic, "Long Black Veil," the Bastard Sons' hip edge changing the old-time tune in surprising, and pleasant, ways. (Reportedly, this is a multi-media CD, and on the multimedia portion of the disc there is a version with Billy Bob Thornton sitting in on some of the verses and Greg Leisz on steel, however, the multi-media portion doesn't appear to be on the promotional copy this reviewer received.) But "Long Black Veil" is the only cover with this disc, the Bastard Sons chose to solely stick to original music, showing masterful songwriting
ability in lead singer Mark Stuart.
"Burn Down," is a fierce, mournful alt-country tune; it is complimented by the more overtly country-sounding "Where I Found You," which is a fast-moving two-stepping song, and the sweetly melodic closing track, "Beautiful Cage"; each song on this disc proves the Bastard
Sons are much more than a clever name. Here is a solid country group who are too sharp and too quirky to rely solely on tags like "alt-country" or "neo-traditionalist." Their music is warm and fresh, completely true to its roots; it is wholly original, as real and hard-bitten as a rusty barbed wire fence, lonesome as the desert and urban as the San Diego they hail from. In short, they're worthy of the Man in Black they've named themselves after, and I can't think of much higher praise than that.
Song List:
Album cover, used with permission of Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash's official website.
