Steep Canyon Rangers were named Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2006 IBMA Awards. Not only are they a great live band, but their recordings have generally captured that energy quite well. Not so with the latest, Deep in the Shade. It's not that it misses the mark or comes off poorly, the album simply hangs still. It displays all the impeccable muisicianship and instrumentation we've come to expect from Steep Canyon Rangers, but the energy is just flat-out missing.
Highlights and Lowlights
For example, "Sylvie" is a terrifically arranged a cappella tune. The band's vocals are on point, blending and weaving beautifully. However, it still comes off like there was an energy vacuum in the studio. "There Ain't No Easy Street" follows, tugging some skip into the step with a little toe-tapping banjo line and thick, intuitive harmonies in the chorus. How it still feels somnambulist is a bit puzzling. It's hard to blame the band, since they have plenty of skill and intuition. It's just not captured impeccably well on this particular album."Mourning Dove" is a nice, gliding instrumental which soars highest in its fiddle solo. "The Mountain's Gonna Sing" is a lovely little sad song lacking both melancholy and longing, despite the lyrics and, again, impeccably tight instrumentation.
The Bottom Line
There's no question that the Steep Canyon Rangers are a gifted, tight band of incredibly talented instrumentalists and vocalists. Their live shows are full of energy and more than adequately showcase their superior musicianship. Folks interested in checking them out may be much better served just going to a Steep Canyon show than picking up this album, which unfortunately just winds up selling the band a little short.
