Chuck Melchin’s The Bluest Sky continue their musical journey with 10 new songs.
“Raindancer” is the second album release from The Bluest Sky, the vehicle for singer-songwriter Chuck Melchin, formerly of The Bean Pickers Union. Their eponymous debut was released last year and received positive reviews including this one on Americana UK.
On “Raindancer” Melchin continues the move towards a more upbeat and electric sound. Leveraging the technical benefits of the pandemic, six of the ten tracks were recorded in the home studios of each musician and mixed by Dave Westner. The remaining four songs were tracked live and mixed by Dave Coleman in Nashville.
Melchin is joined on the record Andy Santospago, Mike Giordano, Gary Goodlow and Jabe Beyer (guitars); Rick Cranford, Dave Westner and Karen Goodlow (drums); Duncan Watton keyboards while bass duties are shared by three Daves – Breen, Westner and Coleman. Musically, the template of “Raindancer” is 1990s country rock (think early-mid 90s Jayhawks). Lyrically, the focus of eight of the ten songs is love – finding, losing, getting over, starting again.
The first real stand out song is the third one in: ‘This Is What Poets Mean’ with keyboards and mandolin (latter by Melchin) and a plaintive vocal celebrating the sense of falling in love.
Another is ‘Crop Circles’ which rolls in on swirling guitar chords which belie its dark message:
“We pass our days in silence
But there’s shouting in my head
I don’t even know you
Two strangers share one bed”
Melchin describes Giordano’s guitar solo as “one of the best moments of the record”, which is not unjustified. ‘6,280 Feet’ takes its title from the elevation of a remote hunting cabin on top of the Colorado Monument used as a songwriting retreat thanks to Melchin’s wife’s cousin. The song’s music suggests the fresh, clear air while the lyric rejoices in the togetherness of a close relationship. The album’s closer ‘Smuggling’ is the last of the highlights and opens with a funky beat as Melchin sets out the tale of illicit manufacture and distribution replete with the risks posed by exposure to violence and the authorities.
Overall, this is an enjoyable record with some excellent songs and playing which should be popular with fans of 90s country rock.
