REVIEW: The Great Western Squares, Almost Sober (Blunt/Independent)
- Jon Steltenpohl
From the first few chords of Almost Sober, you realize that something a little odd is going on. The music is American country and western, but the beat is a little more like U. K. pop. Indeed, a closer inspection of The Great Western Squares bio reveals that this group, while formed under the auspices of the Johnny Cash Appreciation Society, is really an Irish band with roots in punk and other "dodgy" bands. The Society began as an ad hoc jam of musicians at a North Dublin pub called the Hut. Sparked by those nights, Gary Fitzpatrick and a few friends ended up exploring all sorts of somewhat obscure classic country and folk artists such as Jimmy Webb and John Prine as well as George Jones and Loretta Lynn.
Under a bizarre set of circumstances, Fitzpatrick ended up recording a few country flavored covers of songs like Motorhead's "Ace of Spades" instead of a few of the punk tracks he had planned on recording. The result was an album called Judas Steer which was well received in the U.K. Now, their follow-up, Almost Sober finds the band doing almost all originals and sounding not quite authentic as country and western artists, but wholly familiar anyway.
Unlike "New Country" in the U.S. which seems content on delivering sanitized rock music filled with lame puns and soft core innuendo, The Great Western Squares give impassioned renditions outside the profit driven world of Nashville. These feel like real songs sung by real people. They can be sad and melancholy without resorting to "cry in your beer" hysterics.
Lyrically, Fitzpatrick uses plain words to get across strong emotions. In "She's a Dream", lead female singer Oona White reflects, "She can take men, like no other / she can break men with her smile / she can raise men from their slumber / she can make men live or die." Other times though, he gets a little bit too far into the cowboy myth with songs like "Legs Diamond". "The sheriff's got a smile," observes Fitzpatrick, "The townsfolk know your time is nigh, In hell you'll have your trial."
Musically, The Squares hit their stride on the quieter pieces. "Don't Tear Yourself To Pieces" is particularly good as is the final "hidden" track and "She's a Dream". Another standout, "Anemone", isn't particularly country, but it certainly feels classic and rustic and has a slight sea chanty feel to it. For more country and western, the next track, "Small Town Reel" is the story of a young runaway complete with mandolin and lap dulcimer. A fast cover of Alan Parsons' "Luxury Liner" tries to be a barn burner, but Oona White's vocals prove to be more suited to the quieter, pleading songs than this fiddle driven, hoe-down number.
The album closes with a few alcohol related songs which are nice, but serve more to fuel the fire of the Irish drinker persona than anything. And while the style of the album is neither traditional Celtic nor modern U2, there is something definitely Irish about The Great Western Squares version of country and western. Much like The Commitments version of soul, Almost Sober is a fun, lyrical take on a genre attached to a continent an ocean away.
