North Country Gentlemen (Independent)

At the risk of putting things in a fashion you’re more likely to hear from back-alley saloon trash than fine, upstanding north-country gentlemen, holy fucking shit. Yes, this debut release from the band formerly known as Cowboys & Indians is that impressive, with the playing of a golden-Nashville-greats calibre, and the whisky-cured and often harmony-drenched singing nothing less than sublime.

As one might expect from the band’s name (and wisely discarded former name), this is country music as it was meant to be played before Music City went sour once and for all. The album gets off to a spine-chilling start with “Ghost Train”, which counterbalances southern chain-gang vocals with sagebrush guitar and dust-bowl steel.

The quality never dips from there, with “The Ballad of Jesse James” gritty enough for anyone who has ever thrilled to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, “Wild One” featuring a sweaty Stax-soul underbelly, and the loping “Higher Ground” making you think seriously about cashing out and moving to someplace where time moves just a little bit slower.

Someplace, you know, up north in the country, where you’re not going to find a better soundtrack for day-to-day living than North Country Gentlemen.