Self-released

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Six Mile Grove have been creating their unique blend of Americana music for close on 20 years. On their seventh album the band effortlessly weaves their way through their own style of roots rock, which bears just as much country influence as it does heartland rock as the five-piece continue with their evocative take on tales of everyday life which sees them going that much further both musically and thematically. Cultivated from the melodious mind of founding member Brandon Sampson and evolved from the kaleidoscopic Minnesota music scene, MILLION BIRDS is an album informed by the weight of 2019 but filled with gratitude for life and what lies ahead. Firm-footed reflections on home, self and purpose in middle adulthood, Sampson has crafted songs with an honesty and rawness that takes the listener by surprise and cuts to the quick. In short, it’s music for grown-ups and for people dealing with the stuff grown-ups deal with.

On the opening title song, the group’s bold approach is beautiful with Brandon’s message of hope and grief, escape and yearning written large across a sonic sky. With delicate acoustic guitar, light percussion and Brandon’s rhythmic vocals, you can hear the gentle patter of sadness in Early Morning Rain in this devasting song of loss and picking up the pieces and carrying on. While primarily upbeat, the steel-guitar-driven, sunset escape of Not My Fault smooths out an Americana landscape. With a raw and honest cadence, Brandon sings with spine-tingling melody enhanced by the blend of electric lead and steel guitar lines that commands attention. The much heavier Shot In the Arm, is a ponderous rocker about the aimlessness and imperfections of being human. The bright and steady The Radio glides along leisurely like a warm breeze blowing down a carefree stretch of highway. It’s about hard-won joy and what it means to feel that everything is finally falling into place.

Six Mile Grove excel at producing songs that are extremely recognisable, but more importantly they still exhibit masses of originality. Equally at home in folksy, twangy and/or rocking settings, they’ve developed a way of approaching familiar sounds from unfamiliar angles. Call it Americana, roots rock or classic country-rock with a drawl—it’s a perfectly balanced amalgam of the band’s influences and can find a suitable home in any geography. Their musical style may be hard to classify, but it’s undeniably easy to appreciate. There are two simple reasons: great songs and captivating performances.

www.sixmilegrove.com

May 2019