Blanche - Little Amber Bottles

  by Geraint Jones

published: 7 / 7 / 2007

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The long awaited sequel to their promising 2004 debut ‘If We Can’t Tell The Doctors…’, second time out finds Blanche sounding a lot more confident, more ambitious and much more interesting. Recorded in Detroit and Nashville with Lambchop’s Mark Nevers overseeing the latter proceedings, although there’s been a slight line-up reshuffle since their debut – the Raconteurs’ Little Jack Lawrence replacing Patch Boyle soon after its release, a kind of continuity has nevertheless been maintained – Brendan Benson having recorded their debut. Stylistically too the band’s palette has been widened – the crunchy garage rock of ‘What This Town Needs’, a welcome interjection amongst their more Gothic flavoured back-porch country, their stock in trade. Dan John Miller sounds a lot more assured than on the debut, and while he’s not quite in Lee Hazlewood territory just yet he comes close on occasion. Sadly wife Tracee Mae Miller’s excellent vocal turns are still heard far too infrequently – she does get the title track though on which she does a spellbinding turn. A very fine album, ‘Little Amber Bottles’ delivers much, especially to those who perhaps view their world from a more jaundiced perspective albeit with a twinkle in their eye. With its radical solution to unrequited love ‘The World I Used To Be Afraid Of’ finds the band at their dark and captivating best. Balanced with light and shade, the band’s leisurely approach to their craft, just two full albums in seven years, seems to be coming to fruition very nicely thank you.

Track Listing:-

1 I'm Sure of It
2 A Year from Now
3 What This Town Needs
4 No Matter Where You Go...
5 Last Year's Leaves
6 Child of the Moon
7 Little Amber Bottles
8 The World I Used to Be Afraid Of
9 Oh Death, Where Is Thy Sting?
10 I Can't Sit Down
11 (Exordium)
12 The World's Largest Crucifix
13 Scar Beneath the Skin (Bonus Track)

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