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Outformation
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Tennessee Before Daylight
Outerprise Records
Release: 5/17/2005
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Rated:
Review by:
Dave Fox
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With the first full-length album from Widespread Panic
buddies Outformation titled, Tennessee Before
Daylight, these Atlanta, Georgians strip down to their
bare rock roots to pay homage to their favorite genres and
to their most beloved influences. The album goes from
country to blues to rock like a schizophrenic deadhead
playing in Jerry Garcia's garage. Though the frequent
changes can be a bit confusing, the no boundaries style of
Outformation is a good fit; it also helps the album was given
a helping hand by Widespread Panic's John "JoJo" Herman
who produced and contributed keys to the project.
"Game On," the album's opener, is a good ole fashion jam
out session with simple stoner guitar hooks and upbeat
lyrics. Tennessee Before Daylight's title track
goes straight alt-country featuring steel guitar and Nashville
strings reminiscent of Jeff Tweedy's old comrades Uncle
Tupelo. On "Brand New," the band slows it down into a
Robert Plant-ish classic blues-rock number with quiet guitars
and soft piano keys. "Change the Past" was a song written
by Michael Houser of Widespread Panic before he past away
and sang rightfully by Sam Holt who was once Houser's chief
road technician and star pupil. After all the jamming on the
first half of the album, the cloud thickens and
Tennessee Before Daylight" bursts into a funky,
psychedelic hippie feast starting with the seventies style,
synthed out tune "Bout My Money," where the band flips the
organ button on the keyboard and plays tripped out cuts of
Big Worm's famous line from the movie Friday:
"Playing with my money is like playing with my emotions."
The groove continues on the instrumental track, "Center
Stage," which is the true highlight of the album suggesting
that Outformation may well be the next big jam band. Also,
the fact we do not have to listen to any one of the three
members' very average at best singing makes this song a
little better. The album's final two songs take us out with
more bluesy, folksy tunes and the strange screeching of
drummer Lee Schwart's vocals.
Just like a good jam band's tripped out live shows,
Tennessee Before Daylight is a manic journey
through some of the most sacred origins of rock & roll; and
just in time for loyal followers as many of the bands who
years ago took on the seemingly impossible task of filling
the Grateful Dead's shoes have dissipated into death and old
age. |
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