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Fish Records—October 3, 2001
Following on from his 2000 release, Travelers’ Code, this new disc reinforces Darryl’s position as one the very best storytelling singer/songwriters around. Without fail the narratives are interesting and compelling regardless of the subject matter, which varies from 19th century president Rutherford Hayes on the opening track ‘California’, to ‘Bryant Place,’ a track co-written with Ellis Paul, a tragic, but ultimately hopeful contemporary tale.
Musically, this is a much more restrained and confident disc than Travelers’ Code, it’s predominantly acoustic based, and there’s excellent use of guitar throughout; add to this the talents of Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer (vocals, banjo, violin), and Ellis Paul (vocals, guitar), and you have a disc that has lots of detail and intricate musical layers built around acoustic guitar.
Highlights are the aforementioned ‘California’, the upbeat ‘Crooked Line’, and the disc’s only cover, Carter & Grammer’s ‘The River Where She Sleeps’ - these three tracks neatly sum up the album as a whole - superb stories, excellent musicianship and strong melody lines. ‘A Crooked Line’ is a disc with many stories to tell both contemporary and historical, and is a disc that will appeal to many. —Neil Pearson |
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