Fernando Viciconte is a true believer. Like Hank Sr., Springsteen, David Hidalgo and his other heroes, he sees a bleak world out there but clings to the romantic notion that letting it out in the passion of song can ease the pain, redeem the soul or at least help make a little sense of it all.
On Widows, Fernando runs his band through 15 unusually well-crafted tales of heartache, disappointment, betrayal and death. Stylistically moving comfortably from bluesy folk (“Graveyard”, “Heaven”) to roots-rockers (“Execute”) to energetic country/bluegrass (“Battalion of Angels”, “9 Ft. Walk”), this newly formed lineup takes a step up from Fernando’s debut Season in Hell and at times approaches the compelling performances the band has been turning out live in Portland over the past few months.
Highlights are the lead track “Exodus”, on which the raw heartbreak of the song is offset by the beautiful violin work of Marilee Hord (the hardest working woman on the Portland scene, currently playing with Fernando, Golden Delicious and Little Sue); and the stunning ballad “Engine”, which features more tasteful playing from Hord plus the lap steel of Dan Eccles, who also plays electric guitar and dobro on the album. And “Drunkard’s Lament” is a classic country-type tune that’s more likely to have you lifting your glass than crying in your beer when Fernando sings “There ain’t no reward in this world for me except my sweet alcohol.”
Ultimately, though, whether you like this record likely will depend on your reaction to Fernando’s raw, cathartic vocals. When he stretches or shouts, his voice gets real thin. Whereas that noticeably strained singing works for me with, say, David Lowery, here it grates a bit.
Still, the passion and honesty is undeniable. With this kind of songwriting skills and band, give Fernando a bit more time in the studio with a budget bigger than $700 (which is all they spent here), and the rough edges could easily be smoothed over into a country-rock powerhouse.
