In a perfect world,
Angel Band
's third album,
Bless My Sole
-- or at least parts of it -- would enjoy a great deal of exposure on commercial country stations. But instead of being embraced by corporate country outlets, this female country-rock/folk-rock vocal trio has received much of its FM radio exposure from the NPR/college radio crowd, which is to be expected given
's lack of slickness. And those who have been describing
as a cross between the Indigo Girls' folk-rock and the country-rock of
the Dixie Chicks
and
SHeDAISY
(minus the slickness) will continue to see them that way after hearing
. This 2010 release picks up where 2008's
With Roots and Wings
left off, which means that
are still relevant to both country-rock and folk-rock. And they excel in both areas, providing an album that has a fair amount of diversity but is also impressively consistent.
's attractive sound never fails to command attention -- their gorgeous vocal harmonies are an absolute delight -- and the writing (group member
Nancy Josephson
co-wrote most of the material) is excellent. The only thing on
that isn't an original is
's country-rock arrangement of
the Beatles
'
"Don't Let Me Down,"
which comes 40 years after the Fab Four's breakup and points to the fact that the
John Lennon
/
Paul McCartney
songbook is truly one of those rock & roll gifts that keeps on giving. Corporate country outlets that resisted
will no doubt resist
as well, even though
Lloyd Maines
, father of
Natalie Maines
of
, is listed as a co-producer. But that doesn't make
any less absorbing, and listeners who savored
will want to savor
as well. ~ Alex Henderson