It’s been a while since this area’s been introduced to a new alt-country band, but the Healys do their best to recall Uncle Tupelo, with much of the wry humor Diesel Doug and the Long Haul Truckers used to captivate Portland for much of the late 1990s. Like the Truckers, they can be fairly Nashville from time to time, but the tunes are generally over the top enough to let you know there’s irony intended. “Anyway” is the single, with Steve Black using a pretty piano to back vocals that are par...
It’s been a while since this area’s been introduced to a new alt-country band, but the Healys do their best to recall Uncle Tupelo, with much of the wry humor Diesel Doug and the Long Haul Truckers used to captivate Portland for much of the late 1990s. Like the Truckers, they can be fairly Nashville from time to time, but the tunes are generally over the top enough to let you know there’s irony intended. “Anyway” is the single, with Steve Black using a pretty piano to back vocals that are particularly nice when he tosses off the “anyway” that ends most lines. It’s a lonely singalong ballad and well-timed mid-album. Directly following a tune about a “neon redneck mama,” it’s a good reminder these guys are serious about their music. Late in the disc, the Healys show some versatility, too, with a jam aesthetic infusing “Barstool Away from Heaven” and a ZZ Top vibe driving “I’ll Be Gone.” Fans of cowboy boots, grimy jeans, and Jack Daniel's ought to be pleased in general.
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