Red Pine Timber Co - Sorry for the Good Times

by Malcolm Carter

published: 31 / 5 / 2018

Red Pine Timber Co - Sorry for the Good Times

Label: Goldrush Records
Format: CD

Second album from Perth’s Red Pine Timber Company has its roots in Americana but ultimately offers much more

Review

There are eight members of this Perth (the Scottish one) listed and pictured on the CD inlay, and a further eleven musicians are also credited. That’s a lot of talent poured into one album and it shows. ‘Sorry for the Good Times’ is the second studio set from what began life as a loose collective of musicians who are being hailed as one of the UK’s premier Americana groups. I guess we all have a different view of what Americana is these days, but while there’s little doubt that the band do lean towards a sound which is generally accepted as being part of that genre they cover so much ground through these dozen songs that it is impossible and unfair to pigeon-hole their sound. For starters there’s more soul and passion in any one of these songs than expressed throughout a whole album of any of their Americana contemporaries. Apart from the obvious skills that each band member has, the band has two elements that their peers do not. Vocalist and guitarist Gavin Munro had a hand in writing all of the twelve songs on ‘Sorry for the Good Times’, and nine of the tracks he wrote alone. As a songwriter Munro is one of the best. Munro also co-produced the album with Dave MacFarlane, who also contributes fiddle, guitar, mandolin, piano and vocals to the album and the arrangements and production of this album are first class. But the band’s second ace is the vocal talent of Katie Whittaker. Whittaker is one of those rare vocalists who can move from ballads to rockers with ease while always displaying soulfulness that others can only dream of achieving; although Munro is no slouch when it comes to lead vocals there’s no denying that Whittaker brings extra life to these songs. When the duo sing together as on tracks such as ‘Hollow Tree’ the sound their combined voices make is simply stunning. Whittaker’s vocal injections during the last minute of that song are particularly effective; they will raise a smile on the face of anyone who remembers bands such as the Blue Ox Babes, and with the addition of brass to their basic country-hued sound the Red Pine Timber Company prove there’s an obvious soul and R’n’B influence at play here. The gentle ‘Tracks in the Snow’ is really a showcase for the vocal talents of Whittaker. With mandolin and fiddle backing what is a heart melting vocal performance, this song alone is worth the price of the album. It’s a world away from the rockier, brass-fuelled opening cut, ‘If You Want to’ but those two songs neatly sum up this band. They can rock-out with a hook-filled irresistible slab of roots-rock then melt hearts with Whittaker’s emotive vocals on the gentler, more thought provoking track. Again the interplay between Whittaker and Munro vocally during the closing moments of the song is amazing. ‘The Same Kind of Pretty’ is another hook-heavy slab of country rock, although Munro’s lead vocals pull the listener in immediately Whittaker’s short vocal insertions all but steal the song. Just when you think that Whittaker couldn’t possibly top that vocal performance she delivers in ‘Tracks in the Snow’ along comes ‘Put Down the Bottle’. Despite a gorgeous sax break and weeping steel guitar, not to mention the brass being an essential and affecting part of the song, it’s those vocals still come out on top for your attention. It’s an absolute killer of a song and, although we are rightly raving about Whittaker’s vocals here, the input of all the musicians is to be applauded. There is really not a dud track on ‘Sorry for the Good Times’. It’s not just one of the best albums rooted in Americana that’s arrived in recent times, but it’s simply one of the best produced and performed albums across any genre. From the opening blast of ‘If You Want to’ to the closing strains of ‘Dry Your Eyes’ the hooks come thick and fast and the songs cover all emotions. Occasionally you hit upon an album that is simply perfect in every way, ‘Sorry for the Good Times’ is one of them.

Track Listing:-

1 If You Want To
2 Hollow Tree
3 Tracks in the Snow
4 The Same Kind of Pretty
5 Put Down the Bottle
6 After You
7 Cutting You Loose
8 Bar Stool
9 Look at the Moonlight
10 Get Right with You
11 For the Angels
12 Dry Your Eyes