The Cody Sisters Band – White on the Blue
Self Released – 31 August 2018
The Cody Sisters are two young ladies at the heart of contemporary acoustic music in Colorado. With their beautiful harmony vocals and great guitar, banjo and mandolin playing, they set out (along with dad Steve on bass) with the goal of producing an original and uplifting album to make some positivity out of the fairly disagreeable state of the world. They achieved that goal with ease on this excellent album of bluegrass Americana.
The opening track, Umbrella, tells us we can live and enjoy our lives no matter what and we don’t have to be downbeat while less fortunate people can still smile. It urges us to “put the umbrella down” as it’s not raining here and to see the good in the world. The upbeat theme continues with the lovely Toes, which talks about ways to pass time while on a journey home, thinking about days gone by and what awaits you at the end of the journey. The fiddle accompaniment from Natalie Rae Paidilla merges with the expertly played banjo and guitar. There is some more top class picking on display on the next track, Bob Amos’ Wild River, a song which tells of a love that was not to be and the search for peace that follows.
Wild Bunny is a beautiful, gentle tale of a storekeeper who always manages to produce something magic while the world changes around him. The simple waltz-time feel adds to the whimsy and makes for a lovely song. Dandelion asks the question “What do you see in this Dandelion, is it a weed or a wish” and, as in most of the album, the answer is positive.
Some more magic string picking and fiddling drive the next track, Crazy Head, along at a cracking pace and tells of someone who is not crazy, just enjoying life as it should be lived. The final track Song for Wayne is a musical tribute to Wayne Henderson who built the guitars that the sisters play. Described as “an instrumental conversation between the two guitars that were notably built from the exact same stock of wood” it is another impressive display of picking and is a fitting way to end the album.
The two tracks that I haven’t yet mentioned are the two that perhaps don’t quite fit the uplifting theme of the rest of the album. Conversely, they are probably my two favourite tracks. Dallas is a dark and brooding tale of a woman who is risking everything to try and protect her daughter. It is beautifully written and performed (with more excellent fiddling, this time from Enion Pelta-Tiller) and it does not have a happy ending. It is a gripping, haunting and ultimately heartbreaking tale. The other track is the old folk standard The Unquiet Grave. I have heard many great versions of this song over the years but this one is completely different. The banjo and guitar work is exceptional and the tune is faster than one would normally expect. The bottom line is, it works and it works exquisitely well. The vocals are gorgeous and it gives the old song a new lease of life.
This album is a pleasure to listen to. The songs are all performed with a swaggering, bluegrass style and the instrumentation is excellent. The beautiful vocal performances of Megan and Maddie add the finishing touch to the whole thing and it is an album I can highly recommend.
http://www.thecodysistersmusic.com