Overmountain Men "Glorious Day" (Ramseur Records, 2010)

Fighting the good fight

War. At first glance this is a record all about war. The title 'Glorious Day' like a rousing battle call, the band named after a Patriot regiment who fought in the 1780 Battle at Kings Mountain and the graffiti daubed across the album inlay: "Death to Tyrants".

Strange then that from the opening drunken waltz bass of 'Magpies' this seems laid back, pacifistic roots rock. The gentle violin that accompanies David Childers' vocals echoes the calming lyrics: "There is no enemy / There is no war / And we don't have to struggle anymore".

Strange because Overmountain Men are at the forefront of a struggle that is older even, it seems, than the War of Independence; the battle of innovation versus traditionalism in American roots music. There are some genuinely interesting and exciting songs on 'Glorious Day'. 'Altar of Greed' opens with an eerie montage of news footage on capitalism before segueing into some Tom Waits sounding blues, moving through a rousing live medley of 'Muddy Bottom' and the traditional 'The Hunch'. Good luck finding a better ending to an album this year. 'Looking for Dr. Caligari' features some swaggering distorted blues guitar and 'Angola' is a nice tune, though it probably doesn't need to be here twice,the vocal version being far superior.

Childers is a fantastic vocalist sounding like Jeremiah Johnson at a karaoke; gruff yet tender. Jaw thrust out defiant, yet tuneful. The rhythm section is a real highlight with Bob Crawford's bass playing a prominent role in shaping the Overmountain Men sound. A range of guest musicians help add variety and colour to many of the tracks. Eric Mullis deserves special mention for his Xylophone on the riveting 'Coney Island Express'.

Frustratingly, for every one of these highlights there is a by-numbers roots rock tune. 'Rembrandt' sounds like a Counting Crows B-Side, 'All I Ever Knew' and the title track are largely forgettable and 'Leaving England' features just too much keyboard on "acoustic piano" setting. In spite of these, 'Glorious Day' is definitely worth hunting down by fans of roots rock. By turns passionate, innovative and courageous, its clear the Overmountain Men aren't yet ready to give up the fight.

Date review added:  Thursday, February 18, 2010
Reviewer:  David Harry
Reviewers Rating:
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