THE STEELDRIVERS – RECKLESS

Our good buddy Adam Fenwick is checking in again with another guest piece. Beating me to the punch he’s written a piece about the excellent new Steeldrivers album, Reckless. Give it a read and pick this album up, it’s that good.

When it was announced some time ago that Chris Stapleton would be leaving The Steeldrivers to concentrate on his writing and spend more time with his family, I was concerned that his last record with the band, Reckless, would serve as a funeral of sorts for the current incarnation of the band.

Well you can forget about holding a funeral, this record kicked open the church doors and started an old-fashioned bluegrass revival.

While the groups self-titled debut did a excellent job introducing us to the super-group of Nashville musicians (Stapleton, Richard Bailey, Mike Fleming, Mike Henderson and Tammy Rogers), Reckless allows the band to really explore their musical talents. The result was an outstanding record that hits high note after high note (thanks in part to Stapleton’s amazing voice, which will surely be missed).

The band has always prided itself in playing “dark bluegrass,” with songs about murder, death, destruction, booze, drugs, etc., and Reckless once again hits that mark. “Good Corn Liquor” tells the story of a father who starts running whiskey to help his family, only to end up on the wrong side of a lawman’s gun, “Guitars, Whiskey, Guns and Knives” is pretty self explanatory and “The Reckless Side Of Me” tells the story of a man and the two angels that guide him, one of which leans toward rhyme and reason and the other that stands on the side of recklessness.

While those three songs alone could anchor any record, the real gem here is the finale, “Ghosts of Mississippi.” This song sounds like it belongs on a blues record more than it does a bluegrass (or Americana, depending which way you lean) record, yet Stapleton and the band turn the song into a barn burner. This is by far the best song of the record (aiv says: The Price is my personal fave) and worth the price of admission.

If I had to find a fault in the record (and I’m hard pressed to do so), I would only say that the song “Where Rainbows Never Die” should have been left off the final track list. It just doesn’t seem to fit in along with the rest of the songs on the record. It’s not a bad song by any stretch, it simply doesn’t fit in well with the other 11 songs on the record.

Long story short, if you liked the first Steeldrivers record you really need to buy this one. I’m sure Autopsy IV would agree with me (aiv says: I do) when I say this is Essential Listening without a doubt or second thought.

The Steeldrivers – The Price
The Steeldrivers – Ghosts of Mississippi
The Steeldrivers – Good Corn Liquor

The Steeldrivers Official Site, The Steeldrivers on myspace, Buy Reckless

P.S.
Fans of the band needn’t worry about its future. The remaining members of the band have already found a replacement for Stapleton in Gary Nichols, whose voice more than fits the style fans of the band have grown accustom to.