The Weight Are Men
Release Date August 5, 2008
When I was young we had an old vacuum tube radio. It was a thing of beauty, actually, and late at night if it was clear we could get the signal from Wheeling, West Virginia. Country music, the old country music that is, would fill the house intermittently (the signal would waver depending on what was going on in the atmosphere). Patsy Cline, Johnny Horton, Hank Snow, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagner, Johnny Cash, Tommy Hunter, and Marty Robbins all became familiar names to me. Then later The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Doobie Brothers, The Allman Brothers and Creedence Clearwater Revival appeared on the jukebox or in the repertoire of the local bands. So you would think that someone with this much history with country and country/rock music would either a) like it or b) know a lot about it. Well, my friends, I’m sorry to say that I am guilty of neither. I’m not a big fan of it and I know next to nothing about it. So why am I reviewing an album that is country/rock? Because at one time it was such a big part of my life and I’m really not ready to put it behind me just yet.
The Weight’s album, “The Weight Are Men”, is fun and may just turn me into a fan of the genre again. It’s Southern rock/country sensibilities vary from Eagles to Tom Petty to Neil Young to the early Stones to The Band. Joseph Plunkett (guitar/vocals), Uncle Will Noland (bass), Jay Ellis (drums), Fletcher C. Johnson (guitar/vocals), Johnny Carpenter (pedal steel guitar/vocals) “Gentleman” Jameson Proctor, and Thomas Deacon O’Brien have recorded a CD of decidely country/rock tunes in an entirely entertaining and engaging way. They have the requisite twangy vocals, steel guitars, fiddles, heartbreak themes, dirges (and I mean that in a good way), sing-along chorus’ and rocky guitar solos. In fact the guitar solo at the end of “Like Me Better” is absolutely blistering and would put some rock stars to shame.
Joseph Plunkett’s voice is totally suited to country/rock, sounding at times like Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young or, for those who are familiar with Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Colin Linden/Stephen Fearing. Musically, the talents of the individual members keep the songs from becoming cliche and give a fresh and peppy dynamic to the catchy, honky-tonk bar quality of the songs. The subject matter is typical to country/rock, so don’t expect the lyrical content to be on a par with Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen but the material is well written and keeps you interested right to the end of the CD. I have to say that I did enjoy this CD and can see myself coming back to it from time to time. I had forgotten how much of a sucker I am for a steel guitar played well.
If you like your rock music with a little twang and a lot of beer, I would definitely recommend this CD. They have not forgotten the roots of country/rock, seamlessly blending the aura of the Bakersfield sound with the newer sound of today’s alt. country and the Southern rock sound from the ’80s. I really appreciate and respect a band that doesn’t forget where the music they write came from.
The Weight also have three other CD’s available: Compass(2002); Seven Stories (EP)(2003); Ten Miles Grace(2004), and two singles: Ships and Christmas 2008. They record on The Colonel Records – Tee Pee Records.
You can buy The Weight’s albums on iTunes. You can find them on MySpace and Facebook.
The Weight – Like Me Better
The Weight – Johnny’s Song
The Weight – A Day In The Sun
Tags: album