"The Great Depression" and "After the Flood" are workmanlike heartland rockers with an Eagles influence. Even in these less hooky songs, Russell's vocals lift the work a notch above typical rock. "It's Time," a very Eagles-like midtempo ballad, is a good example of Russell's ability to invest plainspoken lyrics that might look cliched on the page with intense emotion.
All these walls of silence and sound
We build them up,
we burn them down
Got to build a home on solid ground
I think it's time
Russell delivers vocals like these as if both his life and yours depended on you understanding every word. Throughout this CD, his keen tenor catches the ear and won't let go.
The melodies and harmonies in "Believer" sound pleasingly Mellencampy, but the best slow song next to "Swing Swing" is the lovely, jangly country-folk tune "World Turns Blue." "Cured" and "Hey Hey Hey," for their part, tread the middle ground between heartland and southern rock, and that's for the most part where Rob Russell and the Sore Losers have positioned themselves. Not all their songs click perfectly, but the best ones are very good, and few bands have the benefit of such an emotionally gripping singer. The band robustly backs up Russell's powerful voice; the whole production sounds solidly live and up-front, though the album clearly doesn't have the benefit of a major label production budget.
Available, with extended samples, at CD Baby.
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