Truckstop Souvenir "Leave Nothing Behind" (Independent 2006)

Truckstop Souvenir help you leave it all behind

Truckstop Souvenir are songwriting duo Dennis James (vocals, rhythm and lead guitars) and Lauryn Shapter (vocals, fiddle, viola and guitar) and they share the songwriting duties plus one cover of Dickie Betts's 'Rambling Man'. The duo take their inspiration from the American landscape and the sound is heavily influenced by traditional country music - Hank Williams looms large over this record. The songs take us into heart of the country and the sound is augmented by mandolin, drums, upright bass and harmonica - it's a sparse stripped down sound with many of the songs dealing with living, dying, working,family, hometown, leaving home and finding love - all are tiny vignettes of American living away from the hurly burly of life - the Interstate is nowhere to be heard.

The slow tempo of most of the songs allow the listener to immerse themselves in the intimate songs and you feel better for listening. The title song moves along at a quicker pace, and 'Rambling Man' is an acoustic take on the Allmans' classic song - it's a clever cover and the stripped down sound works really well. The best song on the record can be found at the end - 'Memorial Day' which clocks in at 8 minutes 27 seconds - story telling at its very best - the Memorial Day Parade that passes through some small towns for lives lost thousands of miles away.

Date review added:  Sunday, September 10, 2006
Reviewer:  Andy Riggs
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  www.myspace.com/truckstopsouvenir