THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS — THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS (Self-Released)

[Maurice Hope]

 

www.thecactusblossoms.com

 

If you are looking for fresh-faced traditional country music with a hillbilly twang and a spot of country boogie (doused in tons of steel guitar and fiddle) then you are going to love this album. Brothers, Jack Torrey and Page Burkum are the real deal. Their music has been likened to Hank Williams tempered with sibling vocal harmonies akin to the Everly Brothers such their exquisite sibling harmonies.

 

With occasional hints of BR5-49 the music is infectious, and with season pickers Mike ‘Razz’ Russell (fiddle), Randy Broughten (steel guitar, Dobro) and fresh-faced Liz Draper (upright bass) aiding their own guitars the Minneapolis act’s record is loaded in rich, traditional hues. Organic and not forced the boys extract bits and pieces from various areas. Hank, Johnny Cash, Brother Oswald’s Dobro and when they revisit, the Delmores ‘Blue Railroad Train’ country blues.  Apart from ‘Lost John Dean’ (that Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch and Fats Kaplin covered, impressively a while ago) they wrote all the tunes themselves and did a great job.

 

Not ever song knocked me off my feet, for ‘Lonesome And Blue’ tends to drift a little, aimlessly. Lacking the feel of the steel, fiddle (Cajun-ish) plied ‘Adios Maia’ or better still the honky tonk beauty ‘Stoplight Kisses’. Hank would I am sure have loved the song. even the pedal steel is reminiscent of his band The Drifting Cowboys. Of the remainder ‘Don’t Do It’, dreamy ode ‘Song of The Bird’ coupled with closing cut ‘Traveler’s Paradise’ are easy on the ear without either pulling up trees.  

 

I look forward to catching them live and if Mike ‘Razz’ Russell (Mark Olson, Creek Dippers, Joe Henry) was to come with them I expect to be one of the best gigs of the year. How about it boys?

 

                                                            Maurice Hope