In early high school we read the story of a boy allegedly raised in the company of chickens. According to the account – which may have been embellished to garner the interest of the Readers Digest demographic – the boy had adopted the behavioural mannerisms of his fowl friends, including the odd squawk and cluck.
And if you were raised in the United States – the national bird of which is the bald eagle – and on a musical diet that comprised the great sounds that The Eagles exploited, you’d be close to the land where Raised By Eagles live and breath. It starts with Penny Drop, a track that’s as viscous as the oil found in the Southern wells, as spicy as the food they serve down near the Mexican border and as accommodating as the hospitality only the South can do. Watching You Fall sits on the porch and watches the world stroll by, just you and Rick Danko shooting the breeze; Great World Atlas is special, in a Muscle Shoals sort of way.
You can hang out with Old Stones, with Keef and Gram in the background, and grab a spot on a pick-up truck with Green Ginger Wine, with the Grateful Dead discovering the musical roots of the American dream. Pull up a pew, and it’s Travelin’ Bone whispering you sweet nothings courtesy of Drive By Truckers; hold on tight for Take Your Time, ‘cause you’re rattlin’ down Route 66 and having the best time of your country-pop life.
And then there’s the haunting, evocative Waiting for Ghosts; it’s a sketchpad full of images, thoughts, memories and regrets, and it’s beautiful to the ear. If this is Raised By Eagles in its childhood, maturity promises to be pretty darn good.
BY PATRICK EMERY
Best track:Penny Drop
If you like this, you’ll like: THE BAND, DRIVE BY TRUCKERS AND DOWNHILLS HOME.
In a word: Americana.
