Joyous, trippy debut raises a smile.
Moonshroom. Now there’s a name. Formed in 2022 by Kansas City songwriters Lily B Moonflower and Jake Keegan, they call their mix of Americana, bluegrass, country, folk and rock, Grassadelic Twang. The first release from their debut album is “Party On The Moon”, and the accompanying video has the feel of a 60s hippie trip. It is a big, bold introduction to their music with funky brass accompaniment to Moonflower’s high-energy vocal and seems a particularly appropriate tempter for an album entitled ‘Taking A Trip.’
For Keegan and Moonflower, music is to be celebrated as a joyous escape from the drudgery and monotony of everyday life; a time to put problems aside and get lost in the music. ‘Taking A Trip’ does, for the most part, meet that aim. The music is upbeat and uplifting, even as it shifts in shape and form as it goes along. Early tracks ‘Sunflower State of Mind’ and ‘More With The Miles’ have old-time country and bluegrass at their core. The leads alternate and, if Moonflower has the more memorable vocals, the musicianship never falters. The pair are joined by Zach Bozeman on upright bass and Colby Allen Walter on mandolin, electric guitar and vocals, and, as a collective, they allow themselves plenty of opportunity to showcase the quality of their playing, with lengthy instrumental links featuring throughout.
The title track heads into more mainstream country with Moonflower’s vocal here more than a match for anything mainstream Nashville can put out. It is a more restrained track with the catchy chorus making this an obvious radio hit, albeit a song that, because of more of those classy instrumentals, weighs in at five minutes plus. As the album progresses, there is also a morph away from what initially seemed out-and-out country and bluegrass into an album that starts to throw out surprises and changes in direction. ‘Drivin’ Through The Night’ is another track with splendid guitar work allowed to shine as Moonflower’s vocals take on a more ethereal quality on a song that surprises with a change in pace halfway through and ends up as an album high point. And, by the time we get to ‘Weekend With Me’, we are in 60s beat combo territory and we can almost visualise four suited and booted mop tops with shiny shoes and choreographed dance moves.
If the style changes as the album progresses, then the mood, or the quality of the musicianship, never dips. Moonflower and Keegan set out to create a joyous, celebratory, and uplifting album, and with this trippy debut, they have certainly accomplished that feat.
