Uncle Earl - Waterloo, Tennessee

Despite the resurgence of old time music at folk festivals in the last few years, Uncle Earl still seems to be one of the most popular groups in this traditional music revival. For their sophomore effort, the g'earls employed Led Zeppelin alum John Paul Jones as producer, presenting their newer original tunes in old time clothes.

The Sisterhood

When Uncle Earl plays, its with a prevailing sense of sisterhood, which is precisely what makes Waterloo, Tennessee (Rounder, 2007) such a haunting record. There are bonds within these voices, and an energy in the instrumental breaks that doesn't exist for many bands.

Songs like "D&P Blues," featuring banjo player Abigail Washburn on vocals, showcase the sisterhood, as it sounds like the g'earls are sitting around a table drinking, singing about their ridiculous men and their carefree lives: "I take to drinkin' like a bird takes to the sky / Get to feelin' much better, gonna sprout some wings and fly."

Killer Instrumentals and a Dylan Cover

With a cappella tunes like "Buonaparte" and "Easy in the Early ('Til Sundown)," the women of Uncle Earl showcase their impressive, haunting harmonizing vocal skills. There's one notable cover of Bob Dylan's "Wallflower," performed in a way that maintains the integrity of the original arrangement, while not comprimising Uncle Earl's traditional proficiency.

It's the instrumentals that drive the record, though, and the whole disc kicks off with one of the band's best: "Black-Eyed Susie." There are tunes like "Streak O' Lean, Streak O' Fat," where the instruments sing the hardest, often with fiddler Rayna Gellert out in front. In the case of "Streak O' Lean," however, it's Washburn's Chinese language skills that punctuate the old time jam.

Bottom Line

In comparison to their first album, She Waits for Night, Waterloo marks a clear step forward for the group. Where their last album was a fine collection of mostly covers of old time tunes, Waterloo shows more of the g'earls' skills as songwriters carrying on the old time tradition. While each member of Uncle Earl has her own side projects to focus on, as well, we can only hope that the g'earls will keep getting together to make such fabulous music together.

Highlights

"The Last Goodbye"

"Buonaparte"

"D&P Blues"

"Wallflower"

"Wish I Had My Time Again"