Six of the best under a clear blue sky.
A mini-album is a somewhat unusual concept. On the one hand, it gives the listener a taster of what may be to come on a complete outing; on the other hand, it can leave you feeling short-changed. If you examine the process of creating an entire collection but struggle to come up with the required songs, you often end up with fillers. Six killers, four fillers. Not on this outing, all six are fine alternative country cuts with one foot firmly back in the classic rock era of the seventies.
Chuck Melchin, formerly of the Bean Pickers Union, is the driving force behind The Bluest Sky. Joined by a cast of fine musicians, including Mike Giordano and Andy Santospago, whose guitar work throughout are pure joy. These six songs undoubtedly build upon their previous outing, “Raindancer”, which was released in 2024.
The opening track, ‘Pretty Girl’, clearly points us in the direction the band are going. A driving rhythm guitar with a guitar solo that rips straight through you. It has a Rolling Stones vibe, but with arguably better vocals. ‘Pressure Drop’ is a lilting rock track which takes it down a notch, but only a little. There is some serious twin-guitar work between Melchin and Giordano, as Santospago sits this one out. Anyone familiar with the work of UK rock band Wishbone Ash will feel this would easily fit on one of their albums. Lynyrd Skynyrd has consistently cited the English rockers as a significant influence, and perhaps things have come full circle.
‘Cordelia’ begins slowly, with a brooding guitar strumming as Melchin sings, “She’s just sitting there smiling that Jurassic grin”, which, as a first line, offers up numerous possibilities.
The song “The Bridge” features an acoustic background with a chiming guitar. It drifts along with some superb guitar work that complements the rest of the content. Melchin is in a philosophical mood, stating “It doesn’t really matter if you put me down / What goes around comes around.”
The suite concludes with the beautiful ‘Tears for Appalachia’. For this one, Melchin brings in a good friend and former bandmate Lynne Taylor to sing lead. The song was written as a fundraiser in response to the horrific flooding in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2024. Taylor. Melchin plays bass, guitar and synthesiser on this excellent collection closer. Taylor’s vocals fit perfectly, and the mournful guitar suits the mood. “It came without a warning / Cat 4 hurricane / Flood waters washed the land clean / She had never seen such rain”.
Melchin comments in the press release that the set is “a fun romp,” which it is, and a very enjoyable one at that. Returning to the original statement at the start of the review, this is one mini-album that has given us a taster and leaves us wanting more. It’s the bluest of blue skies.
