MARK OLSON and GARY LOURIS last made a record together back in the mid-90s, when both were members of country rock revivalists (and No Depression faves) the JAYHAWKS. Though the pair has renewed their songwriting partnership (and, one hopes, friendship), on Ready For the Flood they manage to avoid recreating the Jayhawks’ trademark sound while still retaining many of its signifiers. First and foremost, of course, is the duo’s harmony blend; age has roughened larynxes over the years, but the voices still intertwine like snakes in a mating ritual. Second is the pair’s usual preoccupation with human relationships, whether betwixt lovers, family or a person and his environment.
But anyone expecting Ready For the Flood to pick up where 1995’s Tomorrow the Green Grass left off may be surprised. The quiet folk music of Olson’s solo career dominates here, with fingerpicked guitars, minimalist accompaniment and sedate, intimate performances. Tunes like “Saturday Morning on Sunday Street” and “Turn Your Pretty Name Around” rely on literate craft, deliberate pace and subtle melody rather than easy hooks and rock dynamics. “Bloody Hands” and “Chamberlain, SD” pick up the tempo, even incorporating bluegrass energy, but nothing here “rocks” in the conventional sense. (Indeed, fans of Louris’s soaring, fuzz pedal leads will be sorely disappointed.) Producer CHRIS ROBINSON (AKA the lead singer of the BLACK CROWES) gives the duo a back porch/living room atmosphere, as if you’ve stumbled onto a couple of old buddies running through songs they used to play together, as well as showing off (and working out) new ones. It all flows beautifully – Ready For the Flood isn’t about performance, but communication, with as few barriers between audience and artist as possible.
