​The Steeldrivers (from the album Outrun

​The Steeldrivers (from the album Outrun

​The Steeldrivers (from the album Outrun available The Steeldrivers/Sun Label Group) (by Brian Rock)
 
Bluegrass stalwarts, The Steeldrivers. celebrate 20 years of outrunning father time on their seventh album, Outrun. Singing songs of crime and come-uppance, the band adds Blues and Outlaw Country elements to add a haunting, foreboding air to these twelve tales of passion and rash actions. 
 
“The River Knows” is a haunting Bluegrass tale of abuse and revenge. Celtic violin strains introduce the story as lead singer Matt Dame sings ‘she covered up his anger with a little rouge and Maybeline’: giving a vivid description of the aftermath of a man who ‘never learned how to love, only how to hate himself’ as he describes the Jekyll and Hyde behavior of this dark antagonist. The cheery interplay between violin and banjo masks the dysfunctional relationship between abuser and victim. The all-too-familiar pattern of rage and remorse doesn’t stay hidden for long. Comparing it to a raging river, Dame sings ‘the water’s rising with secrets and sin. Down, down, down; it goes around the bend. Water never tells how the story goes. But oh, the river knows’. Like a raging river, emotions can only be held back so long before they breach their banks. When the emotional flood subsides ‘somebody called the sheriff about a body on the bank. Upon closer inspection, he asked who he should thank. There was a missing finger where he wore his wedding band. Only the shadow on that bridge knows what happened to that man’. The cheery fiddle and violin finally make sense as the victim is finally freed from her pain.
 
Like a small town filled with dark secrets, The Steeldrivers offer tantalizing hints of a sordid past while the details remain hidden behind the shadows and the sealed lips of the locals. “Emma Lee” utters innuendos about a widow’s deceased husband. “Rosanna” sings of a man haunted by the past - and the ghost of his former lover. “Cut You Down” offers a karmic warning to those who think they can hide their crimes behind closed doors. The Outrun title track gives a more direct warning that you ‘can’t outrun the Mississippi river in a Shelby GT Ford. You can’t outrun the angels. You can’t outrun the Lord. You can’t outrun a broken heart that gives in to a gun. And you can’t outrun the Grim Reaper once the deed is done’. The musical backing of banjo, bass, and fiddle create an air of mystique to complement the veiled lyrics. Even if the band is reluctant to reveal the secrets of their stories, they do give some hints to their probable causes. “Booze and Cigarettes” is a rollicking party on the patio that celebrates cutting loose on a Friday night. “Painted and Poison” is both a tribute and warning about wild women while “You Should See the Other Guy” portrays the aftermath of a man defending an abused woman. “Prisoners Tears” and “When the Last Teardrop Falls” slow down the tempo to express regret for the sins of the past. Finally, sharing a glimmer of hope, “On My Way” shows The Steeldrivers offering a fresh start. Singing, ‘I’ve been fighting this battle too long between the bars and the Bible. I think it’s time I surrendered. Yeah, it’s time for revival’. Dame realizes the pursuit of pleasure has only caused pain. Realizing that it’s not too late to change, he vows ‘whatever kind of hell the devil tempts me with, it ain’t gonna work today’. Making new choices frees him from the past, and whatever skeletons may lie there. Fusing Bill Monroe with Edgar Allan Poe, The Steeldrivers create captivating Bluegrass that’s equal parts haunting and harmonious. (by Brian Rock)
 
Listen and buy the music of The Steeldrivers from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit The Steeldrivers website