Little Diamonds New Orleans Bound Review by Gary Hill
There is a real roots music movement these days. This is likely to appeal to that crowd. The sound here is part folk music and part country. It's all very traditional. I have to say that I think it would have been a stronger release if it were a bit shorter. A lot of the songs have a tendency to be too similar, making it drag a bit. Still, a lot of people listen to music as individual songs these days. This would shine like that with little exception.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
I Don’t Know About You
Country and folk merge nicely on this bouncy little number.
Never Met You At All Even mellower and more folk oriented, this one even gets some harmonica in the mix. It reminds me of the kind of thing Bob Dylan might have done in his early days.
12-12-12 We're in pure country music territory on this fun piece.
Too Early Gone Very mellow, there is a lot of country here, too. I think I'd consider this more folk music, though. The violin adds a lot to the mix.
Lord, Come Down Mellow folk music is the idea here. This one doesn't work as well as some of the rest. It's not bad, but a bit awkward.
Duluth Grandma This song is about one fiesty grandma. It's another acoustic folk piece. It's another fun one.
Old Man Al Another mellow folk tune, this is good, but a bit samey.
Drive Away A bit closer to soft rock territory, that change breathes some fresh air into this number.
Mortified Delicate, intricate and quite sedate, this is more of the pure folk sound. Although it does land a bit in the samey territory, it manages to stand out based on the sheer strength of the tune.
Come Back Here A bit more of an involved arrangement is presented here. This is a good combination of folk and country music, really.
I Go Walking Another mellower country and folk based number, this is solid, but weighed down by being too similar to the rest.
New Orleans Bound The title track has the closing slot on the disc. This is an energetic piece with a lot of rockabilly built into it. It even makes me think of the Grateful Dead a bit. This is the best song on the album, really.
