The John Butler Trio is not your parents’ folk music.
The band’s new CD “Sunrise over Sunset” stays true to the folky sound but also explores different musical sounds and arrangements.
However, the album is uneven with some songs having great melodies and bad lyrics and others the exact opposite. There are a few shining moments on the CD where a song has both elements.
An example of this is track nine, titled “Seeing Angels.” The melody is very interesting in that in some places it is plucky and makes the listener want to bop along and in others it is much longer and smoother. Instead of mirroring the vocals the entire song, in some places the melody takes off on its own. As the vocals remain long and smooth throughout the song, making the music seems to wind in and out of the vocals.
The lyrics are a bonus too. They take the very worn-out subject of finding a loved one after a search and talk about it in a much more abstract and metaphorical way. The song truly has poetry in it with lines such as “Only you quenched my thirst/ I thought I was last, you told me I was first.” And “Nowhere to run been out here too long under the sun/ Am I too afraid to get some/ To afraid to give myself some shade.”
While you know what is being said it is being said artfully with delicate music behind it.
Another song that is a gem on the album is called “Treat Yo Mama.” The music has an unexpected, harder edge despite the prominence of the banjo. The lyrics are the highlight of the song. It was written by John Butler and manages to have a message about saving the earth that is listenable with tongue-in-cheek humor while still being serious but not turning into serious hippy fodder.
While there are some great tracks on this CD, they have the same problem other folk artists encounter. It all starts to sound the same. The music by the end of this 14-song album is almost indistinguishable. It starts to repeat.
That does not mean that this is a bad album. It is actually quite a good one. If you like folk music I would definitely add this one to your CD collection. And if you aren’t necessarily a folk song type but are looking for something new this would definitely be a good place to start.
The John Butler Trio will be performing at the Fox Theatre in Boulder on June 15 and at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival on June 16.
