THE DEAD SOUTH – SUGAR AND JOY
Like my good friend and fellow writer Jeff Archuleta of the Eclectic Music Lovers blog I am now revisiting several artists previously reviewed who are releasing new music.
I reviewed The Dead South‘s 2014 debut release, In Good Company (Devil Duck Records), earlier this year. Like many new fans I became aware of this Saskatchewan, Canadian alt bluegrass ensemble through their breakthrough song “In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company” and its entertaining video. Even though released several years earlier, In Good Company became one of my top albums of 2018. The band released their second album, Illusion and Doubt (Curve Records), in 2016 to major congratulatory acclaim.
The Dead South‘s newest L.P., Sugar and Joy (Six Shooter Records), takes the group in a new and compelling direction. Still true to their bluegrass and string band foundation The Dead South spread their wings to further enhance the Americana genre. These new songs embody gritty story telling, earthy songwriting and an expansion of the neo-folk genus. Sugar and Joy strengthens the reputation and prestige of The Dead South by taking bold experimentation to established musical traditions.
Sugar and Joy opens with a short instrumental interlude , “Act of Approach” that whets the appetite before The Dead South jump right into the lead off single off the record, ” Diamond Ring”. “Diamond Ring” is the first of many dark and ominous stories that dot Sugar and Joy. The tale centers on a lover who has to rob and steal to keep his sweetheart’s thirst for jewelry appeased.
“That gold is gonna be mine. That gold is going be mine. With a pistol in my hand gonna git where I can. That gold is gonna be mine. Baby wants a diamond ring“.
The string playing and harmonies on “Diamond Ring” are superb. Colton Crawford’s banjo work hits new highs. The song offers an introduction to The Dead South‘s musical growth and maturation.
On “Blue Trash” and “Crawdaddy Served Cold” The Dead South become introspective. “Blue Trash” confronts the bluegrass purists who feel the band members rock origins discounts their credibility. “Crawdaddy Served Cold” chronicles the day to day “ups and downs” of touring.
“Black Lung” begins a series of dark and haunting vignettes. As described by Dan Bullock in his October 9th review in Critical Popcorn “Black Lung feels like a deep-double bass of a lurking Nick Cave merging the darkness with a ridiculously catchy hum-along chorus that embeds itself in your head”. It’s a perfect analogy. The chorus has been embedded in my head for days.
“Fat Little Killer Boy” adds a rockabilly tinge to The Dead South‘s Americana brand. Upbeat and bouncy, “Fat Little Killer Boy’ actually recounts the sinister dealings of a murderous youth in a black comedy fashion. Even though the lyrics are direful, the buoyant mood of the song has your head swaying to the beat.
For me, “Broken Cowboy” is the highlight of the record. Recounting the trials and tribulations of an ill fated buckaroo, The Dead South infuse a quality of bleakness and dejection not only in the lyrics but also in the music and melodies. A sense of despondency creeps deeply into the listener’s soul. A beautifully eerie piece of art.
In “Snake Man” parts 1 and 2 The Dead South start with a Celtic refrain (Part 1) that blossoms into another compelling story of lost innocence (Part 2). “Heaven In A Wheelbarrow” is a cheery string picking romp that has the spirit a dancin’ and the feet a tappin’.
“Alabama People” is by far the most intriguing song on the record. A simple dirge with spartan lyrics conveying the band’s impressions of the grand folks of Alabama where the band recorded Sugar and Joy (Muscle Shoals).
“Friendly people in Alabama. Lovely people in Alabama.Happy people in Alabama” and a few stanzas later “Hungry people in Alabama. Broken people in Alabama. Lonely people in Alabama. Friendly people in Alabama“.
As the short ditty progresses, Nate Hilts’ vocals become more frantic and the music more bizarre and spectral.
Sugar and Joy ends with the delicately rustic “Spaghetti” and “Distance Oneself” a closing instrumental.
Sugar and Joy is The Dead South‘s vision for the future of folk, bluegrass and Americana. They have forged a new era with endless possibilities. Well done.
THE DEAD SOUTH
- Nate Hilts—————Guitar/Vocals
- Scott Pringle————Mandolin/vocals
- Danny Kenyon——— Cello/Vocals
- Colton Crawford——–Banjo
Sugar and Joy is The Dead South‘s third album
- Good Company———2104 Devil Duck Records/Curve
- Illusion and Doubt—–2016 Curve
- Sugar and Joy———-2019 Six Shooter Records
LOCAL TOUR DATES
- Tuesday, January 7th—House Of Blues———Boston, MA.
- Thursday, January 9th-Warsaw——————Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Friday, January 10th—Theatre of Living Arts–Philadelphia, Pa.
NEXT POST——————Black Pumas
To learn more about The Dead South, check out their website
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Stream music: Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud
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