REVIEW: Rock Hearts — Unfinished Bridges (LP)
Rock Hearts, a bluegrass band hailing from the American Northeast, pulls from a wealth of material for their album Unfinished Bridges. The bulk of the album’s thirteen cuts are from writers outside the band; Rock Hearts cultivates a well-deserved reputation as adept interpreters. They often pick material that, in its original form, doesn’t suggest a bluegrass treatment and transform it into a genre piece without jettisoning any of its core strengths. Guitarist Alex MacLeod and mandolin ace Billy Thibodeau each contribute material to the finished product, but Rock Hearts isn’t about securing publishing credibility. As cliché as it sounds, they are about the song.
It is obvious from the outset. “Unfinished Bridges” begins the album with dignity, thoughtfulness, and wide-ranging musicality. Satisfying the genre’s demands is a relatively narrow task, but bluegrass is a bit of an illusion in the hands of master musicians. It covers a narrow portion of the music world while still sounding like it encompasses the universe. “Unfinished Bridges” never comes off as heavy-handed; however, it does sound worldly, battered but unbowed, and appreciative of how life’s struggles have brought them where they are.
“Walk Away” is a mightily impressive follow-up. Rock Hearts pushes it forward with a simple yet cutting melody, and the sinewy character of the main motif matches the uncompromising lyrics. Monty McClanahan’s songwriting pulls no punches. Solo vocals carry most of the song, but Rock Hearts utilizes five-star caliber harmony vocals when appropriate. Their instincts never err. “Daddy Dixon” has a stronger harmony presence. It’s a much more clean-cut track than its immediate predecessor, and the arrangement’s success or failure doesn’t hinge so much on a central melodic figure. It’s less raucous, as well; “Daddy Dixon” has an airier feel than the comparatively claustrophobic “Walk Away” lacks.
“I Know It’s Wrong to Love You” hails from a grand tradition of songs reaching back to the first half of the 20th century. Artists and industry movers helped build classic country music on the backs of songs like this, and its terse naked emotion works just as well in a bluegrass setting. The lead vocals are key. Marrying pathos with a sliver of theatricality results in one of Unfinished Bridges’ best outings. The first of Alex MacLeod’s songs, “Pretty Little Bird”, is one of the collection’s more sensitive numbers. However, it never sounds too precious for its own good. There’s flesh and blood verve in every second, and the band’s ensemble gifts stand out.
Thibodeau’s strongest songwriting contribution arrives with the solid and involving “Lonesome Man in a Lonesome Town”. This track works in several musical guises; bluegrass, classic country, and even rock would accommodate the song’s musical needs and sentiments. Johnnie and Walter Bailes’ “Send Me Your Address in Heaven” is an unapologetic throwback. We hear, as elsewhere, the influence of seminal bluegrass acts ranging from Bill Monroe, The Stanley Brothers, Roy Acuff, and countless others. It doesn’t merely regurgitate. “Send Me Your Address in Heaven” has deft individuality that sets such performances apart from the norm.
Rock Hearts’ Unfinished Bridges deserves a large audience and copious praise. The New England band renders bluegrass in lively and thoroughly contemporary terms rather than treating the genre as a cherished museum piece. It makes for an invigorating listening experience.
Colin Jordan
