Sometimes you listen to something and it just makes you feel good. It washes a feeling of tenderness over your body, it has some sort of sincerity and a calming kind of a sensation, like waves over sand or something like that, flows over you…then there is music that you can’t really describe. I find that music to be the music that moves me the most, the songs that are the most difficult to put into words how it makes you feel. It simply does, it MAKES YOU FEEL. Despite often times downtrodden in their thematic nature, the music of Cowboy & Lady does just that. I just feel good when I hear the voices of Tyler-James Kelly and Jess Powers dance about and twirl around each other in their own two step rhythm and harmony…so much so that even when Kelly’s sandpapered voice sings “things seem so different, now that your gone” that feeling still stands true and I can’t help but feel the corners of my mouth curl up in a content smile with his words and delivery.
Part honky-tonk bar room romp and part heartbreak balladry, the duo has a dynamic that is extremely well balanced. The mingling of Jess Powers’ delicate grace in her voice with the gruff ruggedness of Tyler James’ is something that one may not think should work…but damnit it does, and it does incredibly well. Its like beauty and the beast or chocolate and peanut butter, two things that come together and create something fantastic. The band line up for this record in top notch…and that’s an understatement because I don’t think a proper word exists for how much Jeremy Moses Curtis (bass), Brooks Milgate (keys), and Duncan Arsenault (drums) add to this collection of tunes.
If there is one thing that this record does well (and trust when I say it does MANY things well) its create an atmosphere that makes you move and dance along…and not just a standard two step for 9 tracks. It contains a variable of feelings and tempos and vibrations. We recently previewed ‘Fool With a Song” here on RLR and it wowed us to no end. ‘Long Gone’ has that bouncy road in a buggy feel driven by some really great acoustic picking and a driving snare beat. The name of the song prompts thoughts of loss and sadness, but still I feel like I need to bobble to the driving rhythm. The music of the band is compelling in that way. In contrast, the immediately following tune ‘When Times Are Hard’ forces my head into a forward sway as Powers’ solemn vocal drifts alongside a Nebraska-esque harmonica. A very blue painted palette. The bass kicks back in and a hot acoustic picking pattern underscores some killer harmonies on the bluesy stomper ‘Mud Money’. ‘When I Wake Up’ is a bluesy ass kicker where the harp, guitars, and voices are in a late night party romp.
Across the board, there isn’t a weak link or lesser track in this collection. With each listen the songs grow on you and you discover a new favorite with each spin you take “Take Me To Town” for around the creaking hardwood dancefloor.
I think there is a balance in what is good songwriting. There is writing that is too simple or direct in nature and then there are lyrics that are so deep and cavernous in their use of literary devices that they are almost too convoluted to be understood. C&L strike the perfect middle ground. With one liners like “she knows all the right buttons to push at the wrong damn time” that hit hard and candid, meaning so much with a very straightforward method. That blunt and frank way of writing really gives the listener a “oh yeah, I can relate” feeling when listening. Story songs about something real without having to wander through a jungle of metaphor, you can sing along, dance, and every so often those hard-hitting hooks really burn into you. And damn, that burn feels good.
Everybody’s stoned, staring at the telephone
You got a Facebook full of friends but you’re all alone
(I mean, come on, classic country vibes meet an honest and modern relevance. That line hit home)
Cowboy & Lady didn’t come out of nowhere. The duo has been earning their stripes, gigging hard around New England and wowing audiences with their earnestness and heartfelt, genuine take on music that bears the best parts of classic country music and strains it through the sieve of their own personalities. My only complaint about this record: why are there only 9 songs?
One of the best of the year for sure. This is the sh*t that true music lovers are hungry for, so dig in.