Album Review: The High Hawks, ‘Mother Nature’s Show’
What could be more fun than riding along with a group of friends who’ve been making music together for years as they explore the backroads and highways that run through roots music?!
On The High Hawks‘ second album, Mother Nature’s Show, this roots supergroup—Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon), Chad Staehly (Great American Taxi), Adam Greuel (Horseshoes & Hand Grenades), Brian Adams (Great American Taxi), Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), Will Trask (Great American Taxi)—lays down some fine-tuned, laid back songs that reflect their ability to follow one another down various musical paths, adding layers of just the right sound as they design the sonic architecture of their songs. Like the high-flying bird of the band’s name, though, their musical flights climb swoop effortlessly.
The album opens with the tender waltz “Diamond Sky,” floating on a foundation aided by Carbone’s mournful fiddle and Greuel’s intimate vocals. It’s an ode to a lost love who’s connected to the singer through the stars in the bright-shining sky. The galloping “Somewhere South,” written and sung by Herman, with echoes of Pure Prairie League, takes off on a road trip, roaming from the icy climes of the north to the sunny and warm expanses of the south.
The stomping rock anthem “Temperature is Rising” features harmonies and blistering lead guitar riffs reminiscent of CSN&Y’s “Almost Cut My Hair,” while the shimmering psychedelic “Fox River Blues”echoes the noodlings of the Grateful Dead, among others. The title track is a funky Southern rocker with jangly keys playing call and response to a scratchy fiddle.
The band delivers a poignant love ballad on “This is What Love Feels Like,” while they launch into a groovy, swampy Cajun rocker on “Backwater Voodoo.” Bright vibes shine on the gospel-inflected, clap-your-hands album closer “Shine Your Blues,” which features rousing and cascading piano runs on the first instrumental bridge.
Sit back and enjoy the ride with The High Hawks as they traverse the hills and hollows of roots music on Mother Nature’s Show.
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Mother Nature’s Show is available HERE
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