Kent McAlister & The Iron Choir – The Way It Rolls

I get a fair share of promo cds these days. I have devised this system so that each cd gets its fair listen, and as a result it can be a month or more after receiving a cd ’til I actually listen to it. However, when I noticed Kent McAlister’s new cd contained a cover of Leonard Cohen‘s “Hey That’s No Way To Say Goodbye”, that was as good a reason as any to bump it to the front of the line.

Kent McAlister and his Iron Choir are coming out of BC by way of Alberta, Canada. Apparently, The Way It Rolls is the band’s sophomore effort. following 2005′s Memory Replacer, and comes in at a mere nine tracks, and with such a short release, the band lends themselves no room to stumble. A lackluster track or two, and this album could find its way to the back of a cd rack pretty quickly. Luckily, the guys pull it off. Feeling to me like a variation of Lyle Lovett, I would say these guys are writing some of the best Texas swing/country North of Austin, with a little Canuck mixed in for decent measure.

Check this disc out. Should Nashville ever get the corporate pecker out of its posterior, these boys could be on their way.

Kent McAlister & The Iron Choir – Losing (always seems to find me)
Kent McAlister & The Iron Choir – It Counts For Something
Kent McAlister & The Iron Choir – Hey That’s No Way To Say Goodbye

Leonard Cohen – Hey That’s No Way To Say Goodbye