All. Right. Now
SideOneDummy, 2021
8/10
A Montana outfit who offer a very atypical brand of Americana, Drew McManus, Karl Roth, Ben Teters, Stefan Kallander and Ben Waligoske, i.e. Satsang, flirt with reggae and classic country across these 12 tunes that welcome fiddles and strings, too.
“From And I Go” starts the listen with mysterious atmosphere before settling into an elegant version of Americana, where warm vocals from McManus are met with cautious, pretty instrumentation that’s violin friendly, and the title track follows with a playful, upbeat spirit as punchy drumming from Teters and glowing pedal steel thanks to Waligoske make for a very memorable roots rocker.
Things just get better from here, including the percussively strong, jam band qualities of the reggae inspired “I’m The One”, while “Further This Goes” lands closer to folk-rock as the gritty yet melodic singing is complemented by Kallander’s guitar prowess. “Back Around” then brings a harmonica and G Love to the precisely layered and rugged alt-country that just might be one of the best tune’s you’ll hear all year.
“Love” and “To Last” exit the listen, where the former is a snappy, piano focused, rock’n’roll fueled adventure, and the latter finishes with plenty of soulful nods in a cozy, reflective arrangement that just begs to be heard live.
In addition to G Love, Trevor Hall appears on the album, as Satsang certainly draws similarities to both of those artists, and you might also be reminded of The Jayhawks or Michael Franti & Spearhead on this very well thought out, lyrically eloquent and musically diverse record.