Broken Family Band - Jesus Songs

  by Mark Rowland

published: 28 / 3 / 2004

Label: Track And Field
Format: CD

intro

'Brilliantly catchy alt-country" from Cambridge, England based group, the Broken Family Band, back with a second album

The Peel-backed Broken Family Band are not really what you'd expect to come out of Cambridge. When I first heard their songs, I was sure they were from the American South, until someone told me that they were in fact British. The band make brilliantly catchy alt-country music, which earned them much acclaim last year on the release of their debut album, 'Cold Water Songs'. They have now made a pretty gutsy step by releasing a new album called 'Jesus Songs' in an age in which people think of horrible Christian rock whenever a band even hint at being religious. Let me say to those of you who are put off by the whole Jesus thing: give this a chance. This is not a big pile of cheesy, preachy fluffy Christian crap, this is a collection of great songs. The Broken Family Band sound pretty country, especially singer Steven Adam's deliberately country-fied voice, but also have an alternative indie feel reminiscent of 'Crooked Rain' era Pavement, this time, however,complete with choir. Occasionally the lyrics on 'Jesus Songs' get a bit "love" and ˜Jesus" orientated, like on 'The King of Carrot Flowers Parts Two and Three', but it's difficult to tell whether their being serious or ironic. There are three 'Walking Back to Jesus' songs and they are all excellent, but all quite different, with the first slow and more alt than country, the second upbeat and banjo driven and the third an odd guitar driven track with trad-country rhythms delivered like Pavement might jamming with Radiohead on the open Texas plains. The other tracks, 'Mother o' Jesus', 'Poor Little Thing' and 'Kissing in the Rain' could fit effortlessly onto 'Cold Water Songs', and are just well played, beautiful songs. Whether you've found Jesus or not, you need to let the Broken Family Band into your life.

Track Listing:-