I have said many times that I don’t really know what Americana means as a description of a style of music, and, truth be told, you probably ouldn’t find two people who agree on an exact definition anyway. But then, that’s the problem with genres in general. And I might have made light of the issue and taken Americana’s name in vain, from time to time, hopefully to humorous effect, but it is a serious question. (In atonement, I said three Hail Marys (Gauthier), and threw in a couple of Hail Rossane Cash’s and a Wilco, to be on the safe side.)
I subscribe to the fact that the genre, given its name, has to reflect something of the American experience, its culture and community, its history and heritage; there needs to be something of that incredible place pulsing through its sonic veins.
So, on paper at least, a band that takes a groovesome, rock ‘n’ roll sound and then, as the mood takes them, blends soul, blues, jazz, and country into the weave must surely be of that ilk, especially if they call the Southwest home. The only problem is that the home we are talking about the Southwest of England, so now I don’t know where we stand.
Okay, the debate can rage on, but at least we have Ghost Ships, the debut album from Carnival Saloon to listen to while it does so.
“How’s This Working Out For You?” is a voodoo blend of Hendrixian psych-blues and raw rootsy rock and roll, and “Billy The Kid” is a deft swirl of cosmic country meets Pogues-esque, drunken singalong folk, and at only three songs in, we realise that this is hardly the music of the M4 Corridor. I love the fact that, with bands like Oasis and Radiohead being back in vogue in the UK, The Carnies, sound like a truck-stop jam band that you bumped into just outside Shreveport on a road trip along the I20 in the mid-seventies.
“Carnival Saloon” is full of raggedy, New Orleans-infused blues-rock swagger. “I Don’t Care If You Believe Me” causes you to make a mental note to dust off your old Rainmakers and Hooters albums, and “Boxcar” is hobo-folk at its finest. (I might have made that genre up, but hey, that’s half the fun!)
Ghost Ships is a great album, one that traverses the diverse landscape of American music, even if it does so subliminally (meaning that it is unforced, the sound of influences working organically). To those who know their genres and definitions better than I do, okay, they might not always sound like they are dyed-in-the-wool American music makers, but they always feel like they are, and that, at the end of the day, is surely what the genre is all about.
