In their first two albums, Old Crow Medicine Show invoke the feeling of pre-World War I jug bands, playing foot stomping licks throughout the night for the small price of moonshine and smiles from pretty little ladies. But in their latest album, Tennessee Pusher, the band matures and alters their formula for success. Offering an intimate, but melancholy, portrayal of the gloom of America's past and present, while adding a touch of rock 'n' roll to their sound that already occupies a common ground between bluegrass, folk and country genres.
Known best for their hits Wagon Wheel"" and ""I Hear Them All,"" OCMS veers from traditional bluegrass numbers that employ bumpy vocals and wild harmonica to focus on original melodies that maintain a deep southern tone but add the smooth edge of classic rock.
In Tennessee Pusher, singer-songwriter Ketch Secor still croons about hard times in small-town southern America, but does so with deeper lyrics and a darker tone. The use of warm, controlled harmonica that radiates through otherwise somber songs gives the album an intimate glow the previous two lack.
The shift is exemplified by the band's decision to replace Gillian Welch's studio sidekick David Rawlings with legendary pop-rock producer Don Was, known best for his work with Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones.
One constant throughout the album is the concept of hitting the road and traveling to places unknown, a theme that echoes both the changing nature of OCMS's music and their dedication to touring the country, playing live shows and festivals. This theme, with the heavy Dylan/Stones influence, shines on the second track ""Highway Halo,"" a song about hitting the road for ""the great unknown"" that features a harmonica and organ combo that could easily be mistaken for Dylan and Richard Manuel on The Basement Tapes. Secor's poignant vocals drive the song as he sings of ""Goin' where I do not know / One eye on the open road.""
Although the tone throughout the first two tracks is lighthearted and fun, the bulk of the tracks that follow confront the dark issues of drug abuse, death and loneliness.
In ""Methamphetamine,"" Secor explores the drug epidemic sweeping across small towns in America's heartland, where ""The river flows with dusty, cold disease."" The song is backed by chilling chord progressions, occasionally offset by tender harmonica solos that accentuate the somber sentiment in Secor's vocals.
The most passionate of the tracks is ""Motel in Memphis,"" a moving ballad about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The tribute ends with the sad sound of Secor's fiddle slowly coming to rest.
Interrupting the gloom are the lighthearted bluegrass numbers ""Humdinger"" and ""Mary's Kitchen"" as well as the more peaceful ""Next Go 'Round"" and ""Crazy Eyes."" And, in typical OCMS fashion, Tennessee Pusher ends with a bang in ""Caroline,"" a merry bluegrass tune that defiantly states ""Heart broken / Hard times / Never got us down.""
OCMS took a risk in varying their style for Tennessee Pusher, but the infusion of rock into their already unique style makes for an enjoyable listen and a bright future for the boys from Nashville.
