The Next Best Thing to a Reunion.
Jayhawks fans have been anticipating this for fourteen years. Mark Olson and Gary Louris were the creative nucleus of the pioneering Americana band. Their Byrds-like style produced two stellar albums before Olson quit the group at the height of its popularity. They are back together for the album Ready for the Flood and while it is in no way a Jayhawks reunion, in keeping with their progressive background, they have created a new direction for their partnership. Putting their unique harmonies at the forefront and surrounding them with rustic, acoustic instrumentation they have fashioned an album that sounds like it was the result of a jam session at a backyard bar-b-que…tasty!
Uniting the quirky affectations of Olson’s solo work with Louris’ more mainstream approach, producer Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes keeps the sparse rhythm section and accompanying players in the background letting the weather-beaten harmonies be the star. The pacing is slow but absorbing as the two strum their way through a satisfying set of neo-folk arrangements that are closer to sounding like Simon and Garfunkel than Gram and Emmylou. “Kick the Wood” sings of the “voices that cheer your day”, “Bloody Hands” posits “what the mind forgets the soul retains” and “Life’s Warm Sheets” is as comforting as the title suggests.
They save the best for near the end when “The Trap’s Been Set” combines all the satisfying elements of their collaboration for what was conceived to be the album’s closer. To allow their solo projects last year to take the spotlight, it was shelved for months after it was recorded. The album finishes with two more recently recorded “bonus tracks” to bring the total number of songs to fifteen making it not only worth the price but more than worth the wait.
Listen for songs from the album Ready for the Flood by Mark Olson and Gary Louris all this week on Paul Shugrue’s new music show “Out of the Box” on Hampton Roads public radio 89.5 WHRV Mon. through Thurs. from 7 to 9 p.m., Sat. afternoon from 1 to 5 p.m. and on-demand at www.whrv.org/outofthebox.