Adrienne Young & Little Sadie
The Art of Virtue
(Addiebelle)
First Appeared in The Music Box, August 2005, Volume 12, #8
Written by John Metzger
With Ben Franklin’s The Virtues of Man serving as her
inspiration, Adrienne Young transforms her sophomore effort The Art of Virtue
into a loosely-knit, 15-track collection about ethical enlightenment and
character development. Although each song is shaded with varying degrees of
bluegrass-hued texture, Young and her magnificent backing band — which includes
guitarist Will Kimbrough and fiddle player Eric Merrill, among others — refuse
to be pigeonholed. Instead, the ensemble defies the odds and builds a stunning
suite of immediately familiar, but wholly original, roots-oriented music that
perfectly straddles the line between contemporary and nostalgic sounds. Indeed,
the collective doesn’t miss a beat as it swerves from traditional gospel (Farther
Along) to anti-war statements (It’s All the Same), and from
bluegrass-tinged murder ballads (Rastus Russell) to Cajun-infused country
grooves (Wedding Ring). By the time the group settles into the gentle
purity of the Grateful Dead’s Brokedown Palace, Young has proven without
a doubt that she not only is one of the most promisingly unique voices to emerge
from Nashville in quite some time, but also that one doesn’t have to be a
supporter of President Bush to embrace a strong set of moral values.
½
The Art of Virtue is available from Barnes & Noble.
To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2005 The Music Box