Rise Above It: A Souled American Anthology
Omnivore, 2025
9/10
Listen to Rise Above It: A Souled American Anthology
One of the earliest alt-country bands, Souled American formed in Illinois in 1987 and put out a few well received albums on the staunch indie label, Rough Trade. After Rough Trade went bankrupt, the band released a pair of albums on a foreign label, but ultimately their 6 albums remained in obscurity.
The powerful and expressive “Notes Campfire” starts the listen with thick bass and a country fueled haze, and it isn’t long until “True Swamp Too” buzzes with a sonically exploratory energy of indeed swampy flavor.
Further into the first half, the soft accordion of “Around The Horn” complements the distinct singing of the dreamy Americana, while “Rise Above It” burns slow amid the rumbling bass, wandering guitar lines and cryptic wordplay.
Deeper still, “Blue Eyes Cryin’ In The Rain” is a bare and melancholic exploration of jarring intimacy, and the fuller “Before Tonight” is harmonically atypical and further secures a very specific genre the band belonged to.
Here, we’re treated to a 1/3 of the band’s output, where 20 tracks tell the story of a long forgotten but highly influential outfit. Similarities to legends like Whiskeytown, Son Volt or Uncle Tupelo are certainly present, but ultimately Souled American were on a journey all their own that’s well preserved here.
Travels well with: Jeff Tweedy- Chelsea Walls; Gary Louris- Jump For Joy