Label:Trakwerx
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Usually "going back to their roots" is the last refuge of a musical scoundrel; a sign that the artist has run out of ideas and has nothing better up their sleeve than to play milquetoast takes on the music they listened to when they were wet behind the ears.
Yet it's hard to see American roots music as the music of 17 Pygmies youth. A brief look at their career shows a band with little or no connection to blues/folk/country music. Perhaps that's why they are able to successfully present a collection like "The Outlaw J.D. Ray" where other musicians fall on their faces.
The music on "The Outlaw J.D. Ray" *is* American roots/folk/proto-country music. But in the hands of 17 Pygmies it has a light, fresh quality that brings a smile to my face. This is not country music as rural goth.
The playing comes across as both light and filled with quiet confidence. This is the music that matches those old photos of folks who wear weathered faces from a life time of standing up to hardship and continuing on. The world may be heavy, but the heart can still be light.
The minimal instrumentation is played beautifully, lilting and unrushed. It also seems that there's a story-line running through these 11 songs, making this into a good, old-fashioned concept album.
My favorite tracks are the back to back winners of "I'll See You in Heaven" and "Captured in Amber".
PS: As always with Trakwerx the packaging is terrific.
17 Pygmies~
http://www.myspace.com/17pygmies
Trakwerx~
http://www.trakwerx.com/label.htm
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