Feed the Kitty Westbound & Down Review by Gary Hill
This set is a bit hard to pin down. Parts of it are legitimate country music. Parts are closer to soft rock. Other things lean toward folk. There is a good sense of humor in a lot of this music. I will say that it's not the most original thing I've heard. It is fun, though.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
Road Less Traveled
Starting on acoustic guitar, this powers out into a cool country laden soft rocker. It's energetic and classy. This is fun and has a nice vocal arrangement. I dig the wah-guitar solo. The horns lend something else to the piece.
California Country Girl
Now there is a lot more pure country built into this piece. Yes, it's based on the more modern pop country and has some rock in it. That said, there is enough legitimate country to keep it "real."
Walk with Me
This is set in much of the same kind of musical territory as the previous cut. Some of the lyrics are spoken. It has some mellower parts on it than the last cut had. This is effective, but not all that original.
One More Week Now, this is cool. It has more rock and roll in the mix. It's energized and up-tempo. Yet, there is still plenty of twang here.
Makin' My Way
A ballad, this is more in line with the soft-rock side of the equation.
Westbound
Fast paced stuff, this has a lot of alternative rock in the mix. This is catchy and fun.
Human Race
I dig the Americana vibe on this rocking tune. It's actually my favorite song of the whole set. It has a real folk rock feeling to it.
Anxiety
Alternative rock is the basic premise here. I suppose that more than anything it's folk rock, though.
Walls
I like the intricate acoustic guitar work on this. The tune is a mellower number that's folk meets soft rock in structure. Yet there is even a bit of jazz in the mix here. This is one of the stronger cuts on the set. My one complaint is that the strings get a bit over the top mid-track.
Sorry
Here they take us into some serious country music. This feels like something Johnny Cash might have done, but given the lyrics and delivery, I think it's tongue-in-cheek. This is a bit risqué in terms of those lyrics. It also gets a real parental advisory.
I'm to Blame This lands more in the country based soft rock vein. It's more of a ballad than it is anything else.
