Kevin Carroll & The Sleestacks – Redemption Day
Kevin Carroll and the Sleestacks formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1991 and, after rising to prominence on that local scene, loaded up the truck and moved to Austin. The band consists of leader and songwriter Kevin Carroll on guitars and vocals, Jud Newcomb (also a regular player with Loose Diamonds and Toni Price) on guitars, Brian Zoric on bass and David Green on drums. Their debut album also features several friends lending a hand with steel guitar, accordion, percussion, keyboards and backing vocals.
On Redemption Day, the Sleestacks assert themselves as a damn good band blending pop, country, Celtic, blues and rock. Within their richly layered sound are influences ranging from The Band to the Faces to the Pogues to the Stones to Gram. Yet while Redemption Day benefits from the marriage of varied styles and consistently fine playing and singing, it suffers from the inclusion of some excessive songs and a few others that feel like filler.
By excessive, I mean excessively long. Many of the best cuts here are pushing six minutes, a length at which even “Hey Jude” can make you check your watch. For example, the album kicks off with a pop tune called “Learning to Crawl” which blends two or three guitars, rich backing vocals and a very nice toe-tapping hook, but wears out its welcome toward the end of its 6:22 running time. Then there’s “These Chains”, with a soulfully mellow groove that initially invites a slow sway on the floor but which, at 5:51, becomes repetitive. One of the best tracks is a very pretty ballad called “I Just Can’t Fall”, with sweet lap steel, accordion, and mandolin fills over the chorus: “I just can’t fall quite like I used to do/I just can’t fall down like a fool/I just can’t fall behind/In pieces or in line/I just can’t fall for you this time.” But even this beautiful song becomes wearying before its 6:12 has expired.
Still, the sound of this band and this record is wonderful. From start to finish, producers Carroll, Newcomb and Dave McNair get the most out of their ensemble, and Redemption Day never feels low-budget or compromised. So even if this record isn’t a complete success, Kevin Carroll & the Sleestacks seem worth checking out and keeping an eye on.