Various Artists – Americana Motel
From my own wide perch here in the Midwest, I’ve generally felt fairly well informed on the Austin, Nashville, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Mississippi, Georgia and Carolina scenes — but when this extraordinarily sprawling, undeniably mature overview of unfiltered American pop/rock/soul/country from the D.C./Virginia/Maryland region hit my music box, it sparked my plugs with something new.
Not your typical regional band sampler, Americana Motel eschews the usual “hit tracks” formula in favor of a swirling, “all for one” intermingling of local luminaries who seem more dedicated to exposing the overall quality of the area vibe than to polish individual stars (of which there are, obviously, many).
Brutal, cutting-edge writers/singers — most notably Kevin Johnson, Karl Straub and Scott McKnight — cover each other’s material in a myriad of styles and lineups, as if to blur the lines. Various assorted stringed-thing wizards, including Bill Kirchen, Pete Kennedy, Mike Auldridge, John Starling and Jim Gaudreau, pop up all over the place.
Ultra-hip covers (and nervy re-creations) of vintage rock ‘n’ roll, doo wop, folk, ’60s pop balladry and outlaw country stir the pot, and it’s all heartfelt, funny, charming. And I absolutely guarantee that you’ll play the beer-snorking, all-hands-on-deck closer “Don’t Take Advice” for your two or three closest music-head pals. Several times.