First of all, let’s get this straight: The Pernice Brothers really are brothers. Joe and Bob, along with bandmates James Walbourne and Ric Menck and some special guests, already have six albums behind them and here comes number seven. They were originally discovered by Sub Pop but something happened and the band dropped away for three years before returning on Ashmont Records where they have stayed ever since. This record is a steady, honest collection of folky Americana that may remind you of old Rolling Stones, without the edge–or maybe Kris Kristofferson.
I liked this album a lot more than some of their more recent work–in fact, I’d say it’s easily their best record since their first. It’s a lot like their first, in fact, in that it’s less polished than their later work. Sometimes their lyrics border on the insipid (comparing a woman to the morning light, e.g.), but much more often the music is exactly the kind of thing you’d want to take a date to go hear on a Friday night. It’s not going to challenge you, it’s going to set a mood: Romantic, gentle, tender music. And God knows there are times when tender music is a must.
