All The Misery Money Can Buy
Soundly, 2020
8/10
Listen to All The Misery Money Can Buy
A Colorado outfit who know their way around an alt-country tune, Gasoline Lollipops is fronted by Clay Rose, who is the son of the songwriter Donna Farar, while Don Ambory, Scott Coulter, Brad Morse and Kevin Matthews round out Gas Pop’s line up. Together, they inject southern and soulful ideas into their timeless song craft on this well done effort.
The album leads with the title track, where strong vocals guide a warm Americana landscape as organ fills complement the fluid rhythm section, and “Dying Young” follows with a calm setting of careful song craft that takes plenty of nods towards the blues.
Further on, the spirited guitar licks of “Lady Liberty” help cultivate a rootsy rock atmosphere, while “Nights Are Short” is a soft, reflective folk-influenced display of sublime beauty. “Taking Time”, one of the album’s best, then recruits classic country sounds amid a very cautious and memorable delivery.
Near the end, “Gypsy” burns slow with a retro, bluesy quality, as Rose’s scratchy vocals illuminate the mood, and “Sinnerman” exits the listen with 7 minutes of keys and soft percussion as gentle brass accent the building atmosphere the gets busy, loud and ebullient before retreating back to a haunting tone.
Though they’re certainly forging their own path, you’ll hear remnants of Tom Waits or Waylon Jennings here, which could never be a bad thing, as Gasoline Lollipops bring gritty melody and a rugged yet tuneful formula that just begs to be played repeatedly.
Travels well with: Jay Stott- Wreckage Of Now; Brad Heller- The Sentence