Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies - Bluebird
Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies
Bluebird
Breakout; 2008
Do the terms “folk,” “country,” “alt-country,” and their various synonyms mean anything anymore, or have they all been swirled together under the moniker “Americana”? While there are intensely nerdy musicologists among us who could debate the finer lines of separation between those cooperative (and often competitive) genres, it remains to be seen and heard whether or not any musician can set out to perform in one exclusive style without subconsciously dabbling heavily in other related sounds. Even worse are reviews like this one where the writer often make heavy-handed and clumsy comparisons between the music under examination and whatever vaguely related act might be on hand. It’s not that we’re intentionally being lazy with our musical associations, but that there is little overt difference between many of these acts in the current landscape.
One side of this discussion declares that the blurring of such lines is of great benefit, as this has brought together music fans who might never have willingly crossed their imaginary lines of taste. In contrast, others claim that doing so only produces a bland, homogenized scene that’s a shadow of its former self, weakening them all beyond recognition. In the middle stands a band like Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies, willing to embrace the debate with a hearty reverence and able to produce delectable songs that reverberate with strength, swagger, and sensitivity. All of the aforementioned styles find room on the group’s sophomore album, Bluebird, managing to give each ample room to breathe and live. “Your Brother, The Poet” and “Adeline” are lovely, intimate acoustic tracks, while “Over And Again” and the title track ring with the emotional weight of classic country. Across the aisle, “Morning Cigarettes” and “Sophia” evoke the more rock-meets-country aspects of alt-country, and to top it all off, “High School Drugs” and “Glory Hallelujah” would feel right at home on a Pat Green or Robert Earl Keen record. Though some might balk and blanch at the fractured sonic ideas of such a description, Bluebird is a remarkably balanced effort from such a young singer/songwriter and his band – Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies are able to make it work.
