Good Rockin' Country & Great Country Rock
author: Mike S
Real solid cd. Includes the lyric of the year: "I guess I never watched enough Scooby Doo to figure out what this is all about" in the song Can't Say Anything. Good blend of uptempo and slower songs, and that category doesn't even include 'Twangalang', which sounds like the kind of country song Jim Croce would write. Good enough where I'm gonna go back and get their 1st CD while I wait for #3 to come out.
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In the tradition of the best of American music
author: Eric Stracener, Jackson Free Press, Jackson, MS
From the glowing country-rock jangle of “Find Me A Crowd” to the dance-hall twang of “Out Of The Picture,” the record is steeped in the tradition of the best of American music. While different songs may evoke The Byrds or Graham Parsons, the collection maintains a decidedly original and coherent feel.
Fans will remember Emily Graham, former guitarist and singer with the band, who was killed in a car accident around the time of Buffalo Nickel’s excellent debut release. Graham’s songs are prominently featured on “Noise and Conservation.” Deaton says Graham was the best songwriter. “She was always writing, very prolific, and when she died, she left a tub full of great songs.” Fans of Emily Graham will find solace in gems like “Can’t Say Anything” and “Walkin'."
Brad Clark, Deaton and Clinton Kirby are all extremely capable multi-instrumentalists, handling instruments as diverse as accordion, banjo, pedal steel, keyboards and guitars. Chris Clark and Elliot Crawford play bass and drums, respectively, and are an excellent rhythm section, letting the band rock or swing as the song dictates. Overall, “Noise and Conversation” has an earthy sound: the guitars chime, the pedal steel wails and the vocals are direct, honest and true.
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A band who can transcend so many genres
author: Ryan Clark, The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, MS
Can one band showcase the sounds of Counting Crows, Tom Petty and Nickel Creek in different songs? Buffalo Nickel is trying, and I think it's working.
It's rare to find a band who can transcend so many genres, and Buffalo Nickel can go from alt-country to rock to pure Western with the change of a chord.
And it never gets boring — you want to keep listening, trying to guess what it may do next.
They rock on Find Me a Crowd and Can't Say Anything Wrong, where they even sound a bit like The Wallflowers. But for the most part, this band wants to play it straight country.
They pull together lovely banjos and mandolins on songs like Devil.
And the most radio-friendly tune, Just Had a Feeling, is so country-pop it sounds like Rascal Flatts could have produced it.
They have tons of talent and enough versatility and marketability to score hits like any of the aforementioned bands. But will the public, hearing so many sounds at once, go for it? I think they will.
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A Definite Car-cruising Candidate
author: Matt Merta, Twangcast
This disc has the instrumental sound that makes countrified roots-rock good and tasty. No overpowering stuff, just the right touch with everything, including pedal steel whines, 12-string jangles, and tic-tac bass grunts. It definitely shows that these guys have the goods at being a great honky-tonk band. Another great mark of this band is the equal division of lead vocals between three singers. It is totally reminiscent of 10-5-60-era Long Ryders. The second and third cuts, “Can’t Say Anything” and “Out of the Picture,” are as near perfection to what Gram Parson would want in a sound. The fourth cut, “Family Man,” has some excellent trading of lead vocals to a great Bakersfield drive.
Fellow Mississippian Cary Hudson (solo, Blue Mountain) helps out vocally on some tracks, and the overall mix comes across as totally what Hudson was attempting in his early projects. The songwriting is fresh without being too intense, and the sound ranges from Foster & Lloyd county-pop to Nashville Skyline-era Dylan. This disc is a definite car-cruising candidate. Buffalo Nickel has the tools needed to be a fantastic roots-rock band that everyone can be satisfied with.
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