When
I was thinking of buying the car that's served me for the last
80,000 miles, I took it to a mechanic friend to give it the once
over. He took it out for a run and when he got back he didn't say
much, just nodded at it as if to say he was impressed despite
himself and eventually pronounced: 'That's a whole car, that is.'
I
knew just what he meant, and his summation of that car's virtues
were brought to mind about the fifth time I played 'Potlatch'. Ten
tracks that clock in at under 35 minutes in total don't sound much
like value for money but this recent trend for greater quality
control pleases me; I have more than enough CD's on my shelf that
outstay their welcome as every last recorded morsel is thrown
on.
The
Bean Picker's Union is essentially songwriter/guitarist/singer
Chuck Melchin, with strong support from Eric Lichter on piano,
bass, drums and production. A fair host of other musicians appear
in the course of things as we go from the quiet, reflective,
acoustic sound of 'Home' to the intense driving rock with a
full band on 'Warrior'. 'Warrior' and 'I'm So Sorry' are
the two tracks to feature Rich Atkins on drums and his
enthusiastic, forceful drumming are as clear a demonstration as
I've ever heard of how much difference a drummer can make to a
band's sound. I really like the whole album, but these two songs
are irresistible on account of the energy coming from the drum
kit. Otherwise, I think Chuck Melchin's a guy in love with
guitars; there's a huge range of guitar sounds on 'Potlatch', and
they're all good. There's Eric Lichter's slide guitar, dominating
the atmosphere on 'Reaper', a modern murder ballad; there's
Steve Saunders' e-bow guitar on the mighty 'Jenny Anne'
that closes the album and there's the beautiful interplay of Chuck
and Eric on assorted guitars and mandolin on 'Bride'. This
last song has more than a hint of Led Zep in acoustic mode about
it, and who's to complain about that? Lyrically, though, Chuck's a
long way from Led Zep territory, with thoughtful, individual
reflections on events and people that catch his interest. I guess
he's covering similar territory to Loomer, rock'n'rolling with a
country heart. At times, as I listen, The Silos or The Walkabouts
are brought to mind and I'd say 'Potlatch' is as good as anything
by those guys. It's a 'whole album', carefully wrought, not a duff
track on it and with a wealth of musical goodies for you to
uncover.
John
Davy www.nessmp3.com/music/biscuitsandgravy
(March
11, 2008)
