A Good Country Mile
by: Kevn Kinney
(Drivin N Cryin)
Recorded in Brooklyn, A Good Country Mile counts as the first album Kevn Kinney has recorded outside of his group Drivin N Cryin since 2004. This album revolves around the collaboration of Kinney and The Golden Palominos drummer Anton Fier. A straight up rock & roll spirit spearheads this collection...
Fier, a renowned producer/drummer, has worked with Bob Mould, Richard Thompson, Bootsy Collins, Victoria Williams, Jeff Buckley, Michael Stipe, Joe Henry and many others. The core band on A Good Country Mile includes Andy Hess (The Black Crowes, Gov't Mule) on bass, Tony Scherr (Norah Jones) on guitar, Fier on drums and Kinney on vocals and guitar. Kinney wrote all the tunes on this album except several he co-wrote with Fier, and the two cover songs included in the sequence.
A Good Country Mile opens with a slow-burning backyard blues rendition of Jason Isbell's "Never Gonna Change". "Gotta Move On (again)" slashes and burns like an amplified collection of musical street preachers playing on judgement day. "Challenge" remains a low to the ground, bottom-heavy, number with some incandescent guitar work. "Hurricane" contains a tumultuous tone that reflects the title of this rollicking tune.
"Wild Dog Moon" retains a vintage tone, and Kinney's lyrics evoke his old ability to emit musical images in telling a story. The title track, a resonating acoustic song, marks a mid-way point in the album, and a poignant reflection descends. "Set In Stone" slows the beat down to the pulse of a heavy heart.
The nine-minute version of "Bird" injects an expansion in the sonic landscape where it's all open road horizons. "In The Land" opens with the words: "If these walls could talk/They would try and warn you" based around a fine melody. The final track is a cover of Seven Mary Three's "Southwestern State", which conjures a setting-sun feeling. A curtain call. A Good Country Mile contains every ingredient for the finest of rock & roll stews...
James Calemine
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