Detroit has a rich and impressive musical history. From its trailblazing Motown mavericks to arena rock pioneers MC5 this city has blessed us with a lot of great music. This is a music community that gave rise to the Motor City Madman Ted Nugent, Eminem and the demon spawn of hip-hop and Southern Rock, Kid Rock.
With this eclectic musical lineage, an unlikely but amazing band has raised from the ashes of city known for Devil’s Night, The Deadstring Brothers. The Deadstring Brothers have a classic, familiar vibe to them but do not fool yourself – they are original in every aspect. Mixing Americana rock, country, bluegrass, and a healthy serving of blues The Deadstring Brothers have forged a unique sound.
For their fifth and latest release, Cannery Row the band moved from their beloved Detroit to Nashville for a home base. Immersed even deeper than usual into their country influences, Cannery Row sounds like a love letter to their new Tennessee home.
The disk opens with the track ” Like A California Wildfire”. Sobbing slide guitar sets the mood for not only the song but also the disk. This gospel-tinged tune has a haunting melody with a backdrop of Hammond organ that sends chills up my spine.
A cornucopia of textures and instruments carry you through the the next few songs and the remainder of the disk. The title track is 5 songs deep, “Canary Row” has a beautiful sounding grand piano opening the song, and then an organ is tastefully dropped on to top the track. It is reminiscent of the earlier recordings producer Gus Dudgeon did with Elton John, classy. Well written and well engineered.
I am not going to give you a blow-by-blow of the track listings – the reason is simple. I can simply tell you The Deadstring Brothers do not know how to write a bad song. This band is five disks deep and every song is killer. Do yourself a favor pick up “Cannery Row” this is perfect laid back chillin’ in the sunshine music. Just be prepared you will find yourself like me picking up every disks these guys have ever released.
