The Wrights – Down This Road

The Wrights may not be a household name yet but with the support of uncle Alan Jackson, hopefully radio will notice what a nice niche this married couple fills in country music. If you love traditional sounding country music and bluegrass, give the Wrights' "Down This Road" a shot.

After one listen to The Wrights' debut album I was immediately taken aback about how retro sounding the married duo sounded. There are shades of Hank Jr, Roger Miller and of course Adam Wright's uncle Alan Jackson. In fact, not only is Alan Adam's uncle but he's also their boss for he signed the duo to his new label ACR Records (Alan's Country Records).

When listening to "Down The Road" it's hard not to picture Kelly Willis when Shannon Wright sings and Dan Tyminski when Adam's singing. The duo's harmony is straight out of Appalachia. The songs may have a plaintive feel to them but the album retains a contemporary edge thanks to the modern recording technology. "On The Rocks" reminds me of Roger Miller while "Knew It All Along" sounds like something Alison Krauss and Union Station would knock out of the park. "Roller Coaster" has a lyrical sensibility to it that recalls the best of Loretta Lynn while "Hole In My Pocket" sounds like the closest thing to a breakout hit. If it were released by Alan Jackson or George Strait, it'd be a Top 10 hit for sure.

It's hard to know how to digest the songs on "Down This Road." they have an peaceful sound to them that invites the traditional country listener in while both Adam and Shannon get to showcase their lead vocals while creating some beautiful harmonies that sound like they're from a pair of siblings. This is a record that may not have a hit but one that will be on my Top 10 list for 2005 when the year's over.