RUNAWAY DOROTHY
The Wait
Self Produced
* * * *
Runaway Dorothy’s music has been endorsed by Ryan Adams and
Roseanne Cash. It has been compared to that of Jakob Dylan, Mumford and Sons,
Wilco, and Counting Crows. The alt-country/alt-rock/Americana sounds of
Counting Crows is indeed a good comparison–if you toss in the atmospheric
arrangements of Snow Patrol and hints of Credence Clearwater for good measure.
The Brooklyn-based quartet of Dave Parnell (vocals, harmonica, guitar), brother
Brett (electric guitar), Warren Robbing (bass), and Evan Mitchell (drums) tend
to walk on the sunnier side of life and the instrumentation could use more
diversity, but they have just enough edge to skirt being twee.
The band’s usual fare can be heard on tracks such as “Sing
with Me” and “Let the Right One In.” The arrangements line up behind Dave
Parnell’s lead vocals. His voice is dry but not gritty, and emotive but devoid
of affected stress. Toss in tight harmonies, some jangly guitar, and let it
shimmer. In “Let the Right One In,” for instance, drums and lead vocal are in
the foreground, whilst everything else pulses behind it–highlights rather than
deep color. There are lots of relationship songs, the edgy nervousness of
“Hurry” being a highlight, and even a breakup song such as “Background” hints
of redemption. Those looking for anything darker will have to content
themselves with “Blue Kentucky Rain,” which is a modern-day Dust Bowl song with
a sweet chorus; until they get to the final track, “Ballad of a Dead Man,” a
vigilante revenge tale.
In candor, Runaway Dorothy will need to temper its formula
if it hopes to break out of a crowded alt-country market. Their song
arrangements, though not identical, have a sameness of spirit that leaves a
listener feeling as if The Wait is
eleven movements of the same song. The album
is a thoroughly enjoyable album that will please immensely, though it
seldom challenges. I can’t knock that, but I also hear a band in need of a
signature rather than more comparisons. Rob
Weir
Here's a YouTube of the opening track.
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