“South is where we’re at right now. Who we are is not important. Who we’ll be is unknown. America needs Blackie and the Rodeo Kings. They are starving for us and they don’t even know it . . . yet.” That’s band member Tom Wilson summing up his take on South, the new acoustic offering from Canadian root-rockers Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.
Wilson’s right, at least as far as I’m concerned. I was starving for this record and, until a short time ago, I didn’t know it. My exposure to the group previously has been limited to hearing a few cuts on SiriusXM Outlaw Country, and seeing a video a while back of a song they did with Sara Watkins (off their Kings and Queens record from 2011). I don’t know what I was thinking before, but I’m a rock solid Blackie and the Rodeo Kings fan from here on out.
Here’s the lowdown on South: It’s rich in sonically-pleasing acoustic sounds – there’s lots of dobro, acoustic guitar and some mandolin in the record, but no electric guitar. The record is called South in a nod to the place it was recorded (Nashville) and there is a song by that name as the second cut on the record. The lead track, however, is called North, which was written by Tom Wilson as he was trying to get a title track, but ended up reversing his geography. So there are essentially two title tracks with opposite names on the record, and they are both strong enough to carry it (as you’ll be able to hear if you click on either link).
Stephen Fearing and Tom Wilson combined forces to write I’d Have to Be a Stone, which does all a song can do to make us feel the loss of that lover who’s gone but not forgotten. Stephen Fearing sings it like he means it, even while slightly toying with us on the play on words between being a stone and being stoned. It’s a great song. Fluer De Lys is another highlight – this one is co-written by Wilson and the third member of the songwriting brain trust, Colin Linden (Linden also produced the record and played all that dobro). The record closes with a cover of a Willie P. Bennett song, which is fitting, since he’s the fellow who caused Blackie and the Rodeo Kings to come together when they recorded his tribute album in 1996.
South releases January14.
