Americana Music Reviews

The cover art for the McCloskey Brothers Band's self-titled debut CD speaks volumes to the music contained within the package. The front cover displays a picture of a quiet mountain pass complete with a silent stream wending its way along past an embankment of large trees. The photo on the back cover is almost spiritual in nature, showing a full moon casting its light on snowcapped peaks, making the scene seem practically surreal. And honestly, these scenes and descriptions go in perfect harmony with the music of the McCloskey Brothers, a neat blend of newgrass spiritualism and earthy serenity.

At first I was apprehensive about reviewing this CD, fearing that this band was merely one of many riding the coattails of Rocky Mountain newgrass revivalists such as Leftover Salmon and Sam Bush. Every Spring, Summer, and Fall the mountains are filled with music festivals dedicated to the human spirit, featuring act after act of newgrassers hell-bent on being the next breakthrough act, oddly enough, by sounding just like everyone else. The McCloskey Brothers, however, took a different approach. They stayed true to themselves, writing and performing the songs that had no choice but to have life breathed into them. Songs with character, emotion, and a gut wrenching honesty to them. Songs that celebrate the human experience while avoiding the cliché. Songs that are lofty and spiritual without getting lost in the Rocky Mountain high of it all or by being too pious. Then they backed these songs with some incredible musicianship.

Pretty simple formula, eh? Write good songs and score them with even better music.

To understand the McCloskey Brothers sound without hearing it, you will have to use your imagination just a little. Let's pretend that years ago Cat Stevens, instead of being a solo act, had hooked up with the Grateful Dead and had written most of their songs, still laden with the same folk spiritualism he became famous for in the seventies. Then, to showcase their sound, they had hired Bela Fleck as the musical front man, working in tandem with that easy, mellow vocal style of Jerry Garcia. Quite a stretch of the imagination, isn't it?! But, that is their sound. The music is very much in the same vein as that relaxed sound the Dead cultivated years ago, punctuated with some very impressive, sometimes jazzy licks on banjo and mandolin.

Todd McCloskey shares the vocal and songwriting spotlight with his brother, David, and is the mandolin virtuoso. The searing licks that he is able to wrench from that instrument are rivaled only by those David brings forth from the banjo. Together, this talented and dynamic duo would almost certainly be enough to turn heads on their own. However, they are backed by two equally gifted musicians in the persons of Steve Roseboom and Dan Menchy. In fact, Menchy on drums and Roseboom on bass supply much more than just the bottom and rhythm to the group, they also give it the musical depth that turns the McCloskey Brothers' sound into a most unique listening experience.

One track that really highlights this sound is "Coming of the Winter," which opens with a great bass riff and a jazzy little drum beat. The instrumental section of the track features an unlikely dialog between bass and banjo, accented by a wild mandolin solo. This is some really great stuff, worth hearing time and again. Another track that is the musical counterpart of "Coming of the Winter" is "Jahbute," which could best be described as a newgrass rocker. It is also very telling of the spiritualistic and individualistic paths the McCloskeys seem to be taking in both their lives and their music:

In my mind I can open the door
My body can climb
Till it can't no more
My spirit is one that wants to soar
To cut my own way is the way I go.

One thing is sure. With the release of this debut album, the McCloskey Brothers Band are cutting their own way in the music world, with an honest and relaxed approach that will no doubt win them a solid audience base seeking a refreshing and uplifting listening experience.

*Let your spirit soar by catching some samples of "Jahbute" and "Coming of the Winter," as well as two other tunes in mp3 format at www.tmbb.net. If you like what you hear, you can purchase the album with a simple click of the mouse

You can contact Scott Snidow at: scott-at-rockzilla.net

 
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