The Bridge
Blind Man's Hill
Hyena Records
available on Hyena Records
This is an interesting mix of music; there is a an underlying foundation of Country, with layers that vary with the songs, a bit of blues, some Southern Rock and Soul, almost going to a Memphis sound, just a touch of funky New Orleans syncopation as seasoning. This is a 6 piece band from Baltimore and maybe they got kind of turned around on their geography lessons, or maybe they all had different geography teachers who had different parts of a musical agenda to push; but somehow they make it work. The key to their flexibility might be the strong songwriting and the blending of styles of their chief songwriters, Chris Jacobs, 6 songs and Kenny Liner, 4 tunes.
The band is tight and knows what to do with the music and this might come from their extensive time on the road. In addition to Jacobs who handles the vocals, lap steel, dobro, electric and
acoustic guitars; and Liner, vocals, and mandolin, you have Dave Markowitz on bass and vocals, Mark Brown on Hammond B-3, Fender Rhodes piano and piano, Mike Gambone on drums and percussion and Patrick Rainey on alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones. There is an assortment of guest musicians to help fill out the sound on this disc depending on the song and what is needed. It is a solid disc, there is nothing groundbreaking but songs that reflect a close to the bones sentiments.