The Dead South (from the album Chains & Stakes

The Dead South (from the album Chains & Stakes

The Dead South (from the album Chains & Stakes on Six Shooter Records) (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
The Dead South have never exactly been an easy band to classify. The Canadian combo resembles a group of Pennsylvania Quakers, decked out in their wide-brimmed hats, string ties, suspenders, and a somewhat stern demeanor. The fact that their last two outings were dismissively dubbed Easy Listening for Jerks, Parts One and Two does little to dispel that clearly curmudgeonly image.
 
Nevertheless, its title aside, Chains & Stakes is more assertive than aggressive, a rugged set of songs that are both rambling and robust. Elements of Bluegrass, Country, Americana, and unsettling circumstance find equal footing in their songs and sound, while their ties to tradition are evident throughout. Nevertheless, their imaginative approach gives them contemporary credibility, and with it, an honesty and integrity that eschews any hint that they’re simply all about image.
 
In that regard, it’s the music that matters, whether it’s the rolling ramble of “Blood on the Mind”, the strut and pluck of “Yours to Keep” or the quiet contemplation implied in the brief instrumental “Where Has the Time Gone”. Clearly, there are larger themes looming throughout, most having to do with the existential elements that life seems to serve up a daily basis. “20 Mile Jump” confronts the question of what constitutes true devotion, while the shifting stride of “A Little Devil” deals with the challenges and choices that everyone inevitably has to face. “Father Soul” describes a lost soul who’s only intent on finding his own redemption.
 
In that regard, Chains & Stakes may sometimes seem deceptive. A song like “Son of Ambrose”, which ostensibly describes the plight of a veteran who’s trying to find his bearings in the world he’s returning to, suggests the need to confront deeper dilemmas. “Completely, Sweetly” leaves its own ominous impression. “A Place I Hardly Know” indicates that even when the familiarity factor is weighed in, things often aren’t the way they seem.
 
The fact that these songs are cloaked a traditional tapestry of banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar adds to the allure and intrigue. Yet comfort and clarity are muddled by a tangle of darker designs.  Like the albums that preceded it, Chains & Stakes marks another intriguing effort from an otherwise earnest ensemble. It’s obvious yet again that in pursuit of their muse, The Dead South refuse to be bound and bridled. (by Lee Zimmerman)
 
Listen and buy the music of The Dead South from AMAZON
For more info, check out The Dead South website