Utmerket Americana
It’s mainly in the name I think, but Norwegian-Canadian
singer/songwriter Leif Vollebeck has little of the Scandinavian about his music
– other than title of seventh track Takk
Somuleiois [sans inflections above certain vowels] – and the album title
pretty much broadcasts where his geographical sound actually resides. As do his
clear influences: the vocal, as is readily noted in reviews I’ve read, is unmistakably
Ryan Adams, and I have detected a little of Josh T Pearson on opener Southern United States, and elements of
Jeff Buckley [isn’t that so often the precursor case?] on the aforementioned
seventh unpronounceable.
But the music is superlative Americana, reflecting voices mentioned
above and a bit of Dylan – also widely noted – because of the use of harmonica
really rather than in the songs which are very Adamesque. Vollebeck shouldn’t,
however, be defined/confined by the vocal links as his voice is clearly his
own, rather than an affectation, and it delivers strongly throughout the album’s
twelve tracks. The home-recording authenticity adds to the overall musical
credibility, and the accompanying musicians add their own stellar support at
times to arrangements which are lively and skewed just that bit to be original,
especially the violin contributions from Arcade Fire luminary Sarah Neufeld: eerie
on the opener, for example, and where the pedal steel of Joe Grass adds more Americana
texture.
As ever, the lyrical dimension requires further listening
and I am writing this very much as a first impression, and a strong one at
that. Indeed, the music is ‘classic’ enough to prompt that aural urge to listen
again and more deeply. I trust that is accolade and recommendation enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment