Categories : Folk + Roots, Music Reviews.
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Rating: 3/5 Released: January 2007 Reviewer: Trent Depue |
At times pure country, at others roots and bluegrass, The Spares’ Jodee Lewis and Steve Hendershot’s sophomore release, Beautiful and Treacherous Thing, can best be lumped into the wider scope of the Americana genre.
Simple acoustic guitar and mandolin provide the foundation for Lewis’s memorable vocal performance that manages to carry the album from start to finish. Collectively the group is able to present a product that is consistent, almost to a fault, with a degree of contrast being Treacherous Thing’s most noticeable missing dynamic. Despite the generally unvarying nature of the CD though, it does manage to open and close strong, with the first two and last two tracks being among the best. The album’s closer, ‘Sing You to Sleep,’ is beautiful in its simplicity and is Lewis’ most impressive vocal presentation.
Technically sound, fun and enjoyable to listen to, Beautiful and Treacherous Thing possesses most everything an album needs, but is missing that hook that draws you back to it again and again. Comparisons to Alison Krauss are not terribly far off the mark and with a little more work, Jodee Lewis and Steve Hendershot should me more than capable of making the move from good to great.
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