Customer Reviews

Caledonia

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Although this is John P. Strohm's first solo album, he has been on the scene since the mid '80's, playing in such notable bands as the Lemonheads, the Blake Babies (with Juliana Hatfield) and Antenna. This is actually the third album to exclusively feature his singing and songcraft. The common thread throughout Strohm's songwriting career has been a proclivity for roots rock/ country stylings, although on previous efforts he has sounded more overtly rock or even psychedelic. Caledonia brings the country straight to the surface with arrangements featuring pedal steel, fiddle and banjo, and sweet Emmylou-esque female harmonies suporting the soaring harmonies. Almost like the converse of Strohm's previous works, the subtle psych/British invasion leanings lurk just beneath the twangy surface, bringing to mind anything from mid 60's Kinks to Sonic Youth from time to time. The songs range from Stones style Ballads (Fool) to honkey-tonk raveups (Powderkeg) to late-night acoustic blues (freightliner). This album will appeal to fans of alt. country bands such as Wilco and Whiskeytown and also to 60's rock purists. The production style is simple and direct and the overall feel of the album is loose and relaxed with very competant performances from all of the support players.

If you are a fan of any of John's earlier work (Blake Babies, Lemonheads, Antenna, Velo Deluxe) you owe it to yourself to check out his alt-country experiment. It seems like a lot of bands / artists experimented with the "no depression" sound in recent years . . . John Strohm's songwriting really sets him apart from the others. My personal favorite songs: Slip Away, Geronimo's Cadillac, and Powder Keg. A great purchase for fans of the above bands and Wilco, Whiskeytown, Uncle Tupelo . . . you get the idea. Enjoy!