OFFICIAL: http://russstill.com
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Written
by Gary Fuller, posted by blog admin
This
sort of music may be considered passé and commercially unviable by the
tastemakers who spend their time promoting such things, but Russ Still and the
Moonshiners are still plugging away at a form long since deserted by many of
their peers with a sense of inspiration and craft that gives lie to the idea
Southern rock and its stylistic antecedents are well nigh exhausted. Instead,
Russ Still and the Moonshiners’ Still Cookin’ strikes the same critical nerves
that have always made such music successful and they do so with an utterly
believable presentation never stretching the boundaries of the listener’s
patience. Their guitar based attack isn’t just a riff and roll jamboree either –
there’s an abundance of melody heard on Still Cookin’ and the band are adept at
invoking atmospherics with their instruments alone. Make no mistake, however,
that Still and his partners can deliver the knockout rock and roll blows with
the best bands of both the present and past.
“Promised
Land” comes at listeners with such energy and earnestness it promises much for
the remainder of the album. Russ Still’s singing is the perfect vocal vehicle
to get this over with audiences and he has the sort of skill with phrasing and vocal
melodies that make the solid lyrics seem like all that much more. That’s further
illustrated on the album’s second song “Long Way from Home” where he revisits a
familiar conceit in this musical form (blues) and makes it his own through
idiosyncratic use of language and his unique talent for getting inside the song
through his singing. There’s certainly more acoustic guitar in the second song
than the first and it makes for a nice change of pace from the opener. The
first of the album’s big ballad numbers comes with the track “I Can’t” and,
unlike the efforts you get from a lot of modern country acts, there’s little
doubt listening to this that it isn’t somehow ripped straight from the pages of
Russ Still’s autobiography. The band proves quite up to its measure and builds
a nuanced, highly patient musical narrative serving the song quite well.
“Gone
Fishin’” is personal, but good fun nonetheless and has a fiery musical backing
that will get audiences on their feet. The chorus is very strong and readymade
for the sort of crowd participation moments that this form often prospers with
on tour. “10,000 Ways” is another powerful ballad, a little less personal than
the earlier “I Can’t”, but musically varied with its strong harmony vocals and
sparkling piano lines. “Run Away” ends Still Cookin’ with a final blast of
Southern rock grit, but this is a band that never applies those effects with a
cudgel and, instead, shows equal parts swagger and finesse that distinguishes
their work from many acts and performers working in this vein. Russ Still and
the Moonshiners have left a visible mark with their fourth album and appear to
be at or near the peak of their musical powers.
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