I’m willing to bet 3-4 lbs of chuck roast that every single review of So Delicious, the latest album from The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, references Breezy’s pot roast recipe. And, originality be damned, I am too (obviously that ship has already sailed). However, going beyond merely mentioning it, and for the sake of journalistically entering into the deliciousness that helped inspire So Delicious, I made the pot roast recipe that’s included with the album. My family likes to pair music with food, and the music pairing for that evening’s dinner was a no-brainer. My kids love So Delicious, although I was unsuccessful at getting my four-year-old to yell along (track 4 – “Raise A Little Hell”). My son’s non-participation aside, sharing Breezy’s scrumptious pot roast with my family while we, at least most of us, jammed and sang along to the catchy and fun songs from The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band is exactly how God intended family dinners to be conducted.
So Delicious is not your 24-year-old nephew’s sanitized Williamsburg version of roots rock. The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, with their adroitly produced and exuberant hillbilly roots rock, joyfully assaults the mostly deadened senses of an iWorld. With a love for life fueled and shaped by personally chopped firewood, boots scuffed from dirt roads, and neighborhood sing-a-longs that didn’t require a permit from City Hall, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band exhibits genuine country — life, not music … although their music is genuine country, too. I’m not saying that the listener, in order for So Delicious to resonate, has to have an intimate understanding of things like the annual watermelon seed spitting contest held at the local library, dodging cow pies as you run through the pasture in an attempt to avoid getting tagged in the daily freeze-tag contest held between siblings and cousins, and shopping at Sunbeam’s day-old bread store; but, those listeners who grew up country will recognize their half-crazed and possibly-related-to-Santa-Claus grandpa in the melodic howl of Reverend Peyton.
I understand, and don’t really care, that my seed-store flavored descriptors of the band are running the risk of alienating creative writing professors everywhere. I’m quite familiar with Mark Twain’s dictum about adjectives that, “when in doubt, strike it out.” But Twain is also the guy who wrote a short story about a frog jumping contest, a purely country activity; I have almost zero doubt that his stricture on the use of adjectives was only meant to be applied to the description of citified pursuits. No reason to waste good words on buttoned-up boredom. So Delicious, in case I haven’t been clear, is grilled, buttery corn on the cob followed by hand-churned, home-made ice cream made with fresh peaches.
On top of the home-spun fun and warmth, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band exhibits a high level of musicianship. The percussion of Ben “Birddog” Bussell may have been deliberately tamped down for the record, but his skill as a drummer lays a rhythmic foundation that not only supports the melodies but also defeats any resistance to head noddin’ and foot stompin’ – as evidenced in our house by the fact that the four year-old who stubbornly refused to yell along was caught head noddin’ as he ate Breezy’s pot roast. Speaking of Breezy, her washboard playing can be transfixing, but even the joy and skill with which she provides additional rhythm on the washboard does not overshadow the gripping vocal harmonies that she belts out.
As good as the band is, however, the real star is The Reverend Peyton. I haven’t had the privilege of meeting The Reverend, but I imagine, based on the force with which his voice and guitar gleefully dominate the room when So Delicious is playing, that his real-life personality is akin to that of a friend of mine nicknamed Joffre the Giant. I’ve seen some the most narcissistic individuals I know get swallowed up by the mere presence of Joffre the Giant; that’s saying something, since having worked in the theatre, I know some hall-of-fame-level narcissists. I imagine that the force of personality of Reverend Peyton accomplishes the same, much-needed miracle of stopping the mouths of self-importance. Regardless, Reverend Peyton’s fingerstyle guitar playing that is highlighted on So Delicious leaves little room for debate about his place as a musician and an artist, and demands respect from even the most high-falutin among us. His almost-guttural baritone voice gives a beautiful story-telling gravitas to So Delicious that is equal parts comforting and challenging.
The obvious highlight of the album is “Pot Roast and Kisses.” During the aforementioned family dinner, our nine-year-old daughter cocked her head, listened to “Pot Roast and Kisses,” and then asked, “We have the pot roast, but where are the kisses?” She almost immediately found out where the kisses were, to her giggling embarrassment and joy.
“Pot Roast and Kisses” may be the obvious highlight, but it’s not the only highlight from So Delicious. The album is filled with toe-tapping songs that feature fun and inventive lyrics. My personal favorite song on the album is “We Live Dangerous.” A bluesy ode to working men and women battling life with humor and courage, the song also serves as a warning to those who think it’s ok to disrespect the blue-collars who hold society up on their backs. Besides great lyrics like “Adventure only happens when everything goes wrong,” the song features some of The Reverend’s best guitar playing on the album.
Look, I don’t make many direct and blatant recommendations in my music reviews, I assume that the reader will immediately go to YouTube and make up his or her own mind. However, my family’s experience with So Delicious and Breezy’s pot roast recipe means that I would be remiss if I didn’t highly encourage everyone to buy the album, make Breezy’s pot roast, and enjoy both together with family and friends. Keep the evening simple. Don’t worry about cleaning the house; if you have to do so, they’re not true family nor true friends. So Delicious is not only a musically excellent offering, but paired with good food and good company, the record will encourage you to slow down and enjoy life.
