Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters (from the album The Ones That Stay

Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters (from the album The Ones That Stay

Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters (from the album The Ones That Stay available on Mule Kick Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
With their seventh full-length effort, The Ones That Stay, Amanda Anne Platt and her band the Honeycutters — Matt Smith (pedal steel and electric guitars), Rick Cooper (bass/vocals), Evan Martin (drums/vocals), and Kevin Williams (keys/vocals) — veer into a more plaintive pastiche, sharing songs about the intricacies of real life relationships and the often tangled emotions that surface, sometimes surprisingly, in the web of everyday life. Platt’s always been purposeful when it comes to combining sentiment and storytelling, but with The Ones That Stay, she summons those strengths by sharing humor, empathy, insight, and experience all in equal measure.

The band, which is based in Asheville, North Carolina, draw from the authentic roots of Appalachian wisdom and tradition. In songs such as “Mirage”, “Clean Slate”, “Window Pane”, and “Forever”, they convey a certain sense of comfort and clarity with warmth, assurance, and a mellow mindset. In fact, every song shares that sensitivity, with “Big Year”, “Forget Me Not Blue”, “Pocket Song”, and a regal remake of the Broadway standard “On the Street Where You Live” affirming the calming caress that pervades the album overall.
 
Certain songs see an uptick in energy — “The Lesson” being one in particular — but for the most part, The Ones That Stay offers an anecdote for these times of anxiety and uncertainty. Reassurance is a treasure in and of itself, and given Amanda Anne Platt’s delicate vocals and the supple sway provided by those that accompany her, this is an album that’s not only beautifully delivered, but one that resonates with precious thoughts and timeless truths.

Amanda Anne Platt sums up the sentiment on “The Muse of Time”, and given the inspiration the band finds here, it’s clear that that that meditative muse remains fruitful and unfailing. The Ones That Stay are also the ones well worth savoring. (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters from AMAZON
 
Please go to the Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters website for more purchase and artist information