Rating: 4/5
Review:
Good but not outstanding
This is a very decent album from The Far West. They write good songs which they perform well and it makes an enjoyable listen, although I don't think it really stands out from the large wave of pretty good Americana/alt-country which is around at the moment.
This is a varied collection of songs, beginning with On The Road a fine, mournful, minor-key song which sets the tone of loneliness and heartbreak which pervades most of this album. It drives along well, though, and one of the album's strengths is that it never gets bogged down. This is followed by Walk Light On This Poor Heart a pretty much out-and-out C&W heartbreak song (although there's no pedal steel anywhere), Leonard is jazzy and feels a little like Minnie The Moocher and so on. It never begins to sound samey.
The band are very good. I like the vocals very much, with their slightly cracked and weary feel, and the instrumental work is tight and thoughtful. I also like that they can set a sad song with the refrain "I just can't see the bright side any more" as a really up-tempo rocker (with some terrific drums driving it on) without losing the sense of the song.
All that said, after a couple of listens I was starting to look for something a bit more, although it's hard to put my finger on quite what. There's plenty to like here, but nothing that really stands out and stays with me, and I suspect that this will be one of those albums which sinks quietly into my collection and surfaces every few years, gets a listen and then sinks again. Others may well like this better, and I can understand why, but although I like it, I can't really rave about it.
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