THE COAL MEN

BEAUTY IS A MOMENT

2010-05-13

The Coal Men inhabit the same mid-tempo, soft rocking space as Jackson Browne, Bruce Cockburn and the Bodeans. While they occasionally turn up the guitars, for the most part the emphasis is on the vocals which, in the case of this disc, are focused on days gone by, "Beauty is a Moment", missing the boat on a relationship, "Outside Looking In", falling prey to a siren call, "Pretty Girls", looking for a second chance, "Sweet in the Pine" and other tales of heartbreak and regret. While the lyrics could find their way onto a blues disc, the musical backdrop is mostly buoyant and, with all three permanent band members contributing vocals, there’s plenty of harmonic ear candy to make this an enjoyable listen. Standout tracks include "Cleveland Sky" with its silky smooth slide guitar, "Outside Looking In" which sounds straight from the Bodeans catalogue, "Sweet in the Pines" with its Muscle Shoal vibe and "Louisiana" which uses accordion to evoke a sense of longing for the state, not as just a place, but as a frame of mind. Smitty

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Folk

  • reviewed 01/2016

    John Heart Jackie
    Episodes

  • reviewed 11/2008

    WHITLEY
    The Submarine

  • reviewed 04/2009

    EILEN JEWELL
    SEA OF TEARS

  • reviewed 08/2007

    BIG LEG EMMA
    The Color Of Wind

  • reviewed 06/2008

    ROBERT FORSTER
    The Evangelist

  • reviewed 06/2010

    SALLY SELTMANN
    Heart that's Pounding

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.