Coast to Coast
(Arista Nashville)
When a band has released four records and two of them are live recordings, that says something. For Nashville hillbilly devotees BR5-49, it says they’re avoiding the issue. Fans are still waiting for the quartet to make the album that exponentially expands upon their thrilling live shows and this isn’t it. Coast to Coast sidesteps the issue altogether: BR5-49 are a great live band, so it’s easy to just hit ‘record’.
Unlike their live debut EP, which captured some of the sweaty magic of early, legendary sets at Robert’s Western Wear in Music City, Coast To Coast feels far away; a faux-set. Gleaned from shows last summer with Brian Setzer’s Orchestra, it takes awhile for the band’s reverent spirit to break through the digital sterility. Especially fine are Bob Wills’ “Brain Cloudy Blues”, the swagger of Gram Parsons’ “Big Mouth Blues”, and an gleeful scurry through Charlie Daniels’ “Uneasy Rider”. As usual, Guitarists Chuck Mead and Gary Bennett sing fantastically well and even offer some new tunes. Mead’s “Tell Me Mama” and Bennett’s slinky “Better Than This” are both strong honky tonkers.
Perhaps the most interesting item is the tacked-on studio recording of Tommy Collins’ truly nutty “You’re A Humdinger”, which receives a fine Bakersfield interpretation. It also underscores the procrastination apparent on the live tracks. Yes, these shows were undoubtedly well-played, the covers well-chosen, but would you expect anything less?
BR’s two studio albums have hinted at greatness, which is ultimately why Coast to Coast is unsatisfying. A nagging problem is looming and no one wants to acknowledge it, so like Bob Dole says about Erectile Dysfunction, lets get this problem out in the open: it’s time for BR5-49 to deliver the great record that they have in them, because they’ve set a higher standard for themselves and this record feel too much like a holding pattern.
Time Out New York, 2000
