The Chicken Coop Vol. 1
Americana Vibes, 2023
8/10
Listen to The Chicken Coop Vol. 1
The Salt Lake City bluegrass rockers Pixie & The Partygrass Boys turn in a covers album, and it takes a look back at their ski bum days, when house parties comprised their live shows and the diversity sure is welcomed, as are the guest players.
The excellent string fueled interpretation of the ‘80s smash, “Take On Me”, opens the listen with Katia Racine’s soaring vocals alongside Amanda Grapes Dellinger’s warm fiddle, and “Gimme Shelter” follows with Andy Hall’s dobro adding much beauty to the rhythmic and very agile climate.
In the middle, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” features Ann Phung’s flute alongside the soulful and expressive delivery, while “Psycho Killer” makes great use of Ben Weiss’ mandolin and Andrew Nelson’s guitar amid Racine’s firm versus soft singing.
Further along, “The Bad Touch” is an intimate moment that benefits much from Zach Downes’ strategic bass that complements the vocal acrobatics, and “We Like To Party” exits with a festive landscape of group vocals and dynamic string interaction that emits plenty of melody and timeless bluegrass flavor.
Whether you’re a fan of bluegrass or not seems irrelevant here, as these classics radiate so much creativity via their distinct rebirth, they will be globally appreciated. However, if you are a fan of bluegrass, well, you’ll need to hear this.
Travels well with: Andy Hall- Squareneck Soul; The Sweet Lillies- Equality