| Under the Table and Above the Sun - Reckless Kelly | |
|
Reviewed by Kathy Coleman
When I first heard of Reckless Kelly, I went in search of their records, only to find that Virgin Records filed their discs in the "Rock" section. On first listen, to their Acoustic Live at Stubbs disc, they appeared to me to be a pure honky-tonk band. But Reckless Kelly defies any such categorization. In some ways, the record store was right; in others, I was. In all ways, Reckless Kelly is nothing less than a great band.
I've seen writeups that accuse Reckless Kelly of being "inconsistent," but it is that very variety which is the spice of this group. They are honky-tonk, they are Southern-fried rock, they are Outlaw Texas country, they are hard-hitting alt-country -- in other words, don't shove 'em into a niche. These guys are pure and unique. As they say in the liner notes to their newest disc, Under The Table & Above The Sun, "The Solution [to pre-teen, pre-packaged, pro-tooled, pretentious... cyborg music] Music made by players. Lyrics written by poets. Songs that spit atoms, not hairs. Sounds that still shake the rafters long after last call."
Tribesmen who leave the gig to go jam 'til dawn at some unknown Bob's girlfriend's garage apartment. If we are lucky enough to have these essential ingredients come together in one band that burns the house down every single time they step on stage then, my friend, we have the solution. Indeed. There's not much more which needs to be said.
These guys put together a song that has the above abilities, including the metaphoric splitting of the atom. With strong
melody lines and lyrics that punch, sung by the rich honeyed vocals of Willy Braun, they can't fail to hit. Willy's brother Cody adds
distinctive harmony and fiddle. David Abeyta on guitar, Jimmy McFeeley on bass, Jay Nazz on drums. Simple, perfect, excellent.
Songs like "Desolation Angels" ring truer than mainstream pap. "I saw the same old streets for far too long, I put the rubber on the
road and left it all behind. Now paved with memories those streets are long since gone, the rubber on the road and the blood
inside."
Reckless Kelly doesn't strive to sound like anyone else. They don't put on the polish and shine to attract the attention of the Nashville Song Machine, CMT, or any of the imitation music makers. They don't worry about what genre they belong in or concern themselves with making their music "accessible." Instead, they focus on making music that is just plain good. With "Everybody" Willy Braun takes a familiar and well-used country theme, the "every face I see is yours" idea and makes it new and fresh. "I see you sitting on a park bench, you're everywhere and it makes no sense, and it's nothing new that everybody looks like you." The haunting melody is guaranteed to make every listening part of the body strain to take notice.
The Braun brothers write songs that are rich in emotion, soaked in feelings much deeper than the standard pop fare, the sort of thing that forces a listener to think. It's a good thing. "When the sun went down, you were sitting under someone else's sunset, and I wasn't around. You were wishing that I was the guy that you'd just met, and I was probably stumbling down some back street alley in Amsterdam."
Their songs invoke strong images, stir feelings deep inside, and just plain touch the deepest heartstrings. They don't play to
the pack, they aim carefully for discerning ears. Listen closely. It's not for nothing these boys have been awarded the Austin Music
Awards "Best Roots Rock Band" 1997-98, 1998-99, and 2001-02. This is music for the "workin' folks," for everyone who heads
for the honky-tonk of a Friday night to get loose and get ready for the weekend. Enjoy it, embrace it, delight in it. We need more
music like these boys offer.
Song List:
Album cover, used with permission of Sugar Hill Records.
Sound clips courtesy of Barnes & Noble.
Click on the button below to find the best price for this CD and purchase it from a retailer on the Internet.
