Artist: Delta Spirit
Album: Delta Spirit
Label: Rounder Records
Release Date: March 13, 2012
Review by: Sean Kayden
The San Diego natives are under the impression they’ve found their calling with the release of their eponymous third record. Delta Spirit never wanted their style to be regarded as a folk rock or alt-country. In spite of their earlier sound wandering around in the confines of those genres, the band always believed they were simply crafting modern rock songs. For the group to release their third album as self-titled, the band is certainly trying to inveigle fans and newcomers alike to finally see what they are truly all about. Is it worth your time? With some hesitation, it’s apparent that Delta Spirit has indeed generated a decent record. However, I must confess, this is now coming from someone who was never truly impressed with the band’s first two records.
The problem with the group’s self-titled album is how inconsistent it is. I never found myself entirely captivated with the experience of listening to it. “Tear It Up,” the second track off the record is fully energetic. It’s my favorite song off the album, but those who’ve previously found spiritual enlightenment through the music of Delta Spirit may be disappointed. The abovementioned song sounds nothing like they’ve ever written before and maybe that’s the reason I thoroughly enjoyed it. The simple lyrics masked behind infectious guitar riffs are what make “Tear It Up” what it is. Some may call it fluff, but I call it pure addictiveness. “Time Bomb” is a beautiful, spiritually driven track that exemplifies the notion of a looming future. The morbidly induced “Into The Darkness” comes off rather haunting. This is the sound Delta Spirit should have gone for with the other songs. At any rate, “Time Bomb” and “Into The Darkness” demonstrates how Delta Spirit really try to become more than just a band simply described as one or two things.
The group stumbles with songs like “Idaho,” “Otherside,” and the god-awful “Tellin’ The Mind”. They feel nothing more than plain filler and suffer from being both unappealing and painfully generic. The trio of songs is a poor representation of what the band wants to now accomplish. Mishaps aside, Delta Spirit has definitely shifted gears with this latest endeavor. No longer can you call them a purely Americana rock band. They’ve some made intrepid choices and credit is due for most of their artistic decisions. With the release of their third record, I don’t know if Delta Spirit is exactly sure if they are the band they’ve all set out to be. If anything, this record constitutes a step forward in the direction they’re trying to head down. However, it’s just not the big leap they were anticipating on achieving.
Key Tracks: “Tear It Up”, “Home”, “Time Bomb”, “Into The Darkness”
Grade: 7 out of 10
Published by Mountain Views News on March 31st, 2012
http://mtnviewsnews.com/v06/htm/n13/p11.htm
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