Creative Records artists: The Grahams - Glory Bound/Rattle The Hocks - New release review

I just received the newest release, Glory Bound/Rattle The Hocks from The Grahams and it's lively. Opening the studio recordings with title track, Glory Bound, the Grahams are riding the rail in western style with a driving drum rhythm and flashy country guitar. Gambling Girl is a country style track with Alyssa Graham in the lead with hit radio vocals. Harp work over a punchy piano part makes for a cool track. Western style ballad Blow Wind Blow features a steady rhythm guitar part and nicely blended vocals. Lay Me Down has a spiritual quietness and sweet vocals by Alyssa. Other musicians on this set include Ryan Engleman, Gabe Pearson, John Fullbright, Byron Berline and Dan Walker. High energy bluegrass track Kansas City is spry with jig with fiddle, chicken picken electric guitar, and rail riding steel guitar chased by solid bass and driving snare. Very cool! Ballad, Mama, has a clear rural feel and spiritual overtones. Nicely blended vocals and tight instrumentals are featured. The Wild One is my favorite track on the studio release with a warm friendliness. Alyssa handles vocals nicely and the music craft on this track is particularly nice with a catchy melody. Griggstown is a clean, contemporary western style track. Alyssa' vocals are featured out front with Doug blending nicely. I really like the transparency of the guitar work on this track in particular. Biscuits is an easy paced country blues with light piano and acoustic guitar and featuring some of the nicest vocal on the studio track. Again a trick electric guitar riff with double stops puts a nice curly cue on the track. Borderland adds accordion giving it a more swampy feel. Sticking to a simple 2 step rhythm this track has a radio feel. The Spinner is a simple country style ballad with warm blending vocals and smart steel guitar accents. Wrapping disc one is bluegrass track Promised Land. A pure contemporary country western track with pure sweet vocal harmonies, this is a good conclusion for the first set.

 The live recordings entitled Rattle The Hocks has a different lineup of musicians including Cody Dickinson, Luther Dickinson, Alvin YoungBlood Hart, John C. Stubblefield, Rick Steff, Duwayne Burnside, Sharde Thomas, Lester Snell, Sam Shoup and Stu Cole. With only three track changed, Tender Annabelle, City Of New Orleans with a cool banjo, tuba bass part and an excellent trombone solo and Big John which is performed a capella like blues in a field added, I find the live recordings a bit less controlled and much more enjoyable. With more rawness to the vocals and more grit to the instrumentals overall the live tracks are much more alive. I've always said there is something for everyone and each of these sides has it's own personality. My personality tends more to the freewheeling attack on disc two so make sure you check it out!

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